甘之如饴 — “To bear hardships willingly and contentedly”
甘之如饴 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to bear hardships willingly and contentedly”. To find joy or sweetness in suffering or difficult circumstances. Literally, “sweet as malt sugar”.
甘之如饴 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 甘gān
- 之zhī
- 如rú
- 饴yí
甘之如饴 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 甘之如饴
Origin and Story of 甘之如饴
The idiom "Gan Zhi Ru Yi" originates from the Southern Song Dynasty. During the late Song Dynasty, a patriotic general named Wen Tianxiang led his army to resist the invading Yuan forces. Unfortunately, he was captured and imprisoned in a harsh dungeon by the Yuan army. Zhang Hongfan, a Song defector, tried to persuade him to surrender, but Wen Tianxiang firmly refused.
He endured three years in the narrow and cramped cell, never yielding. During his imprisonment, he wrote the famous "Song of Righteousness" (Zhengqi Ge), which contains the line, "鼎钁甘如饴，求之不可得," meaning that being boiled in a cauldron would feel as sweet as malt sugar, but even such a swift death was not granted to him.
Ultimately, he was executed under the order of Kublai Khan, the Yuan emperor. His unwavering spirit in the face of immense suffering became the embodiment of "Gan Zhi Ru Yi," signifying one's willingness to endure extreme hardship as if it were sweet.
Idioms Related to 甘之如饴
Antonyms of 甘之如饴
More idioms starting with 甘
- gān甘wéi为róng戎shǒu首willingly be the chief instigator of hostilities
- gān甘zhī之rú如jì荠willingly endure hardship, find sweetness
- gān甘zhī之ruò若sù素accept adversity calmly
- gān甘zhī之ruò若yí饴willingly endure hardship as if sweet
- gān甘jǐng井xiān先jié竭Talented people often decline early
- gān甘mào冒hǔ虎kǒu口willingly brave extreme danger
- gān甘fèn分suí随shí时content to adapt to changing circumstances
- gān甘chǔ处xià下liú流content to be in a lower position
- gān甘jū居xià下liú流content to lag behind
- gān甘jū居rén人hòu后content to be behind others
- gān甘xīn心wéi为wǔ伍willingly associate with others
- gān甘xīn心lè乐yì意perfectly willing and content
Questions about 甘之如饴
- What does 甘之如饴 mean?
- 甘之如饴 (gān zhī rú yí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to bear hardships willingly and contentedly”.
- How do you pronounce 甘之如饴?
- 甘之如饴 is pronounced gān zhī rú yí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 甘之如饴 literally mean?
- Literally, 甘之如饴 means “sweet as malt sugar”. It is used to mean “to bear hardships willingly and contentedly”.
- Where does 甘之如饴 come from?
- 甘之如饴 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 甘之如饴?
- 甘：甜；饴：麦芽糖浆。感到象糖那样甜。指为了从事某种工作，甘愿承受艰难、痛苦。