三折其肱 — “Three times breaking one's upper arm”
三折其肱 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to become an expert through repeated experiences and setbacks, learning from one's own mistakes or misfortunes; to gain profound knowledge or skill through practical experience”. Literally, “Three times breaking one's upper arm”.
三折其肱 Pronunciation and Pinyin
三折其肱 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 三折其肱
Origin and Story of 三折其肱
During the Spring and Autumn period, the Fan and Zhonghang clans within the Jin state were preparing to rebel against Duke Ding of Jin. Many believed that Duke Ding would fail again.
However, some argued that the Fan clan's rebellion was an act of treason and would not gain popular support. Moreover, Duke Ding had suffered repeated defeats, but if he properly summarized his experiences, just as one becomes a good doctor after breaking one's arm three times, he would not necessarily fail.
Idioms Related to 三折其肱
More idioms starting with 三
- sān三sān三liǎng两liǎng两in small groups
- sān三sān三wǔ五wǔ五in small scattered groups
- sān三sān三sì四sì四in small groups
- sān三xià下wǔ五chú除èr二do something quickly and efficiently
- sān三bù不niù拗liù六the minority cannot overrule the majority
- sān三bù不zhī知utterly ignorant of something
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，hé合chéng成yí一gè个zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom is powerful
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，sài赛guò过zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom surpasses individual genius
- sān三wǔ五chéng成qún群in small groups
- sān三qīn亲liù六gù故relatives and old friends
- sān三qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
- sān三qīn亲sì四juàn眷all one's relatives and kinsfolk
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Open the tool →Questions about 三折其肱
What does 三折其肱 mean?
三折其肱 (sān zhé qí gōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to become an expert through repeated experiences and setbacks, learning from one's own mistakes or misfortunes; to gain profound knowledge or skill through practical experience”.
How do you pronounce 三折其肱?
三折其肱 is pronounced sān zhé qí gōng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 三折其肱 literally mean?
Literally, 三折其肱 means “Three times breaking one's upper arm”. It is used to mean “to become an expert through repeated experiences and setbacks, learning from one's own mistakes or misfortunes; to gain profound knowledge or skill through practical experience”.
Where does 三折其肱 come from?
三折其肱 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 三折其肱?
肱：手臂。几次断臂，就能懂得医治断臂的方法。后比喻对某事阅历多，自能造诣精深