披荆斩棘 — “To break through brambles and thorns”

披荆斩棘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to break through brambles and thorns”. To clear a path through difficulties and overcome obstacles; to blaze a new trail despite hardships. Literally, “To hack through thorns and brambles”.

Frequency

披荆斩棘 Pronunciation and Pinyin

披荆斩棘 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
披	pī	8	drape over shoulders
荆	jīng	9	thorny shrub, humble apology
斩	zhǎn	8	cut off decisively
棘	jí	12	thorn, thorny, difficult

Example Sentence with 披荆斩棘

在实现梦想的道路上，我们必须有披荆斩棘的勇气和决心。

On the path to realizing our dreams, we must have the courage and determination to break through brambles and thorns.

Origin and Story of 披荆斩棘

Feng Yi was a famous military general in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, serving as a prominent general under Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. He achieved numerous military feats and became one of the founding heroes of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In 25 AD, Liu Xiu established the Eastern Han regime and became emperor, dispatching General Feng Yi to pacify the Guanzhong region. Later, Liu Xiu enfeoffed Feng Yi as the Marquis of Yangxia and appointed him General Who Conquers the West.

In 30 AD, Feng Yi traveled to the capital Luoyang to pay homage to Emperor Guangwu. Emperor Guangwu received him with great ceremony and introduced him to all his civil and military officials, saying: "He was my chief general when I raised my army. On the path of establishing our foundation, he cleared away the overgrown brambles, swept aside numerous obstacles, and pacified the vast Guanzhong region. He is a truly meritorious subject who greatly contributed!"

Because Feng Yi was modest and eager to learn, he earned deep respect from the people.