筚路蓝缕 — “To endure great hardships and difficulties in starting an enterprise”

筚路蓝缕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to endure great hardships and difficulties in starting an enterprise”. A cause, or pioneering work, often from scratch with limited resources. Literally, “Wicker cart and tattered clothes”.

Frequency

筚路蓝缕 Pronunciation and Pinyin

筚路蓝缕 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
筚	bì	12	wattle or bamboo fence
路	lù	13	road, path, way, route
蓝	lán	14	the color blue
缕	lǚ	12	thread, strand, wisp

Example Sentence with 筚路蓝缕

我们公司的创业团队，当年筚路蓝缕，才有了今天的成就。

Our company's founding team, enduring immense hardships and difficulties, laid the foundation for today's achievements.

Origin and Story of 筚路蓝缕

One spring, the State of Chu attacked the State of Zheng. Zheng, unable to resist, was forced to seek peace with Chu. When the State of Jin received this news, it immediately dispatched troops to counter Chu and save Zheng, with the objective of winning Zheng over to its side.

However, before the Jin army could cross the Yellow River, Zheng had already capitulated, and the Chu army was preparing for a victorious return. Xun Linfu, the commander of the Jin central army, along with some other generals, advocated halting the advance. But Xian Hu, the deputy commander of the central army, and another faction of generals disagreed, leading to a heated dispute. The Jin army temporarily camped between Mount Ao and Mount Gao.

Zheng sent emissaries to the Jin camp, declaring: "Our seeking peace with Chu was merely a means to avoid annihilation, with absolutely no unfriendly intentions towards Jin." They further stated: "The Chu army achieved an easy victory and has thus become arrogant, relaxing their vigilance. If you seize this opportunity to pursue them, with our assistance from the side, you will surely inflict a crushing defeat upon the Chu army."

Xian Hu exclaimed with delight, "Exactly! Defeating the Chu army and reclaiming Zheng is the perfect timing!" However, Luan Shu, the deputy commander of the lower army, countered, "No, that won't do. The State of Chu consistently instructs its military and citizens to uphold the spirit of their ancestors, who 'drove a simple carriage and wore ragged clothes to clear mountains and forests' (筚路蓝缕，以启山林), emphasizing diligence, frugality, and arduous struggle in building their state. What grounds do we have to claim they have become arrogant and relaxed their guard? Furthermore, Zheng's urging us to attack the Chu army is not genuinely in our interest. If we win, they will undoubtedly curry favor with us, but if the Chu army wins, they will simply surrender to Chu again. How can we possibly trust Zheng's words?"