发愤忘食 — “To be so absorbed in one's studies or work that one forgets to eat”
发愤忘食 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so absorbed in one's studies or work that one forgets to eat”. To devote oneself diligently to a task. Literally, “Exert oneself and forget to eat”.
Frequency
发愤忘食 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 发fā
- 愤fèn
- 忘wàng
- 食shí
发愤忘食 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 发愤忘食
为了攻克这个技术难题，研发团队的成员们常常发愤忘食，夜以继日地工作。
To overcome this technical challenge, members of the R&D team often worked so diligently that they forgot their meals, toiling day and night.
Origin and Story of 发愤忘食
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius traveled with his students through various states to give lectures. When they arrived at Ye邑 in the state of Chu, Duke Ye (Shen Zhuliang) hosted him.
Duke Ye, not knowing much about Confucius, quietly asked Zilu about him. Zilu was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Later, when Confucius learned of this, he told Zilu that next time he should say: "He is a person who works so hard that he forgets to eat, finds joy in forgetting his worries, and does not realize old age is approaching."
Idioms Related to 发愤忘食
Synonyms of 发愤忘食
Antonyms of 发愤忘食
More idioms starting with 发
- fà发shàng上chōng冲guān冠to be in a towering rage
- fà发shàng上zhǐ指guān冠hair stands on end in extreme rage
- fā发rén人shēn深sī思thought-provoking
- fā发rén人shēn深xǐng省inspire deep thought and reflection
- fā发fán凡jǔ举lì例explain general principles with examples
- fā发fán凡yán言lì例establish principles and give examples
- fā发fán凡qǐ起lì例set forth general principles and rules
- fā发hào号chū出lìng令issue commands and orders
- fā发hào号tǔ吐lìng令issue orders and commands
- fā发hào号bù布lìng令issue orders and directives
- fā发hào号shī施lìng令issue orders and direct others
- fā发míng名chéng成yè业Gain fame and achieve career success
Questions about 发愤忘食
- What does 发愤忘食 mean?
- 发愤忘食 (fā fèn wàng shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so absorbed in one's studies or work that one forgets to eat”.
- How do you pronounce 发愤忘食?
- 发愤忘食 is pronounced fā fèn wàng shí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 发愤忘食 literally mean?
- Literally, 发愤忘食 means “Exert oneself and forget to eat”. It is used to mean “to be so absorbed in one's studies or work that one forgets to eat”.
- Where does 发愤忘食 come from?
- 发愤忘食 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 发愤忘食?
- 努力学习或工作，连吃饭都忘了。形容十分勤奋。