How do you pronounce 内忧外患?

内忧外患 is pronounced nèi yōu wài huàn in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 内忧外患 literally mean?

Literally, 内忧外患 means “Internal worries and external troubles”. It is used to mean “Internal troubles and external threats”.

Where does 内忧外患 come from?

内忧外患 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 内忧外患?

多指国内不安定和外敌侵略。有时也比喻个人的情况。

内忧外患 — “Internal troubles and external threats”

内忧外患 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Internal troubles and external threats”. Difficulties and problems arising both from within and from outside. Literally, “Internal worries and external troubles”.

Frequency

内忧外患 Pronunciation and Pinyin

内nèi
忧yōu
外wài
患huàn

内忧外患 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
内	nèi	4	inside, inner, within
忧	yōu	7	to worry or be anxious
外	wài	5	outside, foreign, unofficial
患	huàn	11	suffer from illness or disaster

Example Sentence with 内忧外患

这家老店近年来面临着经营不善的内忧和市场竞争加剧的外患，处境十分艰难。

This old store has been facing internal troubles such as mismanagement and external threats from intensifying market competition in recent years, putting it in a very difficult situation.

Origin and Story of 内忧外患

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Lu was in great turmoil. Power was controlled by the three noble families Ji, Meng, and Shu rendering Duke Ding a mere puppet.

Hearing that Confucius lectured, advocating principles like 'a ruler should act as a ruler, and a subject as a subject' and 'benevolent governance,' Duke Ding summoned him. He analyzed the 'internal troubles and external threats' facing the State of Lu with Confucius.

Confucius advised him to form an alliance with the State of Qi externally and to reassert the ducal authority internally, proposing a series of measures to achieve this.

Idioms Related to 内忧外患

Synonyms of 内忧外患

nèi内wài外jiāo交kùn困beset with internal and external difficulties

Antonyms of 内忧外患

guó国tài泰mín民ān安peace and prosperity throughout the land

More idioms starting with 内

Questions about 内忧外患

What does 内忧外患 mean?: 内忧外患 (nèi yōu wài huàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Internal troubles and external threats”.
How do you pronounce 内忧外患?: 内忧外患 is pronounced nèi yōu wài huàn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 内忧外患 literally mean?: Literally, 内忧外患 means “Internal worries and external troubles”. It is used to mean “Internal troubles and external threats”.
Where does 内忧外患 come from?: 内忧外患 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 内忧外患?: 多指国内不安定和外敌侵略。有时也比喻个人的情况。

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