集萤映雪 — “Collecting fireflies and reflecting snow”
集萤映雪 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently under impoverished circumstances, inspired by the historical examples of Che Yin using fireflies for light and Sun Kang using reflected snow; it describes someone who overcomes financial hardship to pursue education with great effort”. Literally, “Collecting fireflies and reflecting snow”.
集萤映雪 Pronunciation and Pinyin
集萤映雪 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 集萤映雪
Origin and Story of 集萤映雪
During the Jin Dynasty, Che Yin was a diligent student from a young age. Due to his family's poverty, they could not afford lamp oil for him to read at night. On summer evenings, he would catch fireflies, place them in a white gauze bag, and hang it above his books, using their faint light to study.
Similarly, Sun Kang, who lived in the same dynasty and was also poor, would read at night by the light reflected from the snow outside his window.
Idioms Related to 集萤映雪
Synonyms of 集萤映雪
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Open the tool →Questions about 集萤映雪
What does 集萤映雪 mean?
集萤映雪 (jí yíng yìng xuě) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently under impoverished circumstances, inspired by the historical examples of Che Yin using fireflies for light and Sun Kang using reflected snow; it describes someone who overcomes financial hardship to pursue education with great effort”.
How do you pronounce 集萤映雪?
集萤映雪 is pronounced jí yíng yìng xuě in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 集萤映雪 literally mean?
Literally, 集萤映雪 means “Collecting fireflies and reflecting snow”. It is used to mean “to study diligently under impoverished circumstances, inspired by the historical examples of Che Yin using fireflies for light and Sun Kang using reflected snow; it describes someone who overcomes financial hardship to pursue education with great effort”.
Where does 集萤映雪 come from?
集萤映雪 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 集萤映雪?
集萤：晋代车胤少时家贫，夏天以练囊装萤火虫照明读书；映雪：晋代孙康冬天常映雪读书。形容家境贫穷，勤学苦读。