不忘沟壑 — “To be prepared to die for a righteous cause”
不忘沟壑 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be prepared to die for a righteous cause”. Or, to not forget one's humble origins or past hardships after achieving success. Literally, “Not forget the gullies/ravines”.
不忘沟壑 Pronunciation and Pinyin
不忘沟壑 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 不忘沟壑
Origin and Story of 不忘沟壑
During the Warring States period, Mencius traveled to various states, advocating for benevolent governance. He typically only visited a state if invited by its feudal lord.
His student, Chen Dai, found this difficult to understand. Mencius then explained to him:
'Duke Jing of Qi once used banners to summon his gamekeepers during a hunt. Those individuals, embodying '不忘沟壑' (not forgetting the gullies, meaning being prepared to die for their principles), chose to sacrifice themselves rather than yield or come forward in a disrespectful manner. This demonstrated their strong character and integrity.
If I were to go without a proper invitation, what kind of decorum would that be?'
Idioms Related to 不忘沟壑
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
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Open the tool →Questions about 不忘沟壑
What does 不忘沟壑 mean?
不忘沟壑 (bù wàng gōu hè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be prepared to die for a righteous cause”.
How do you pronounce 不忘沟壑?
不忘沟壑 is pronounced bù wàng gōu hè in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 不忘沟壑 literally mean?
Literally, 不忘沟壑 means “not forget the gullies/ravines”. It is used to mean “to be prepared to die for a righteous cause”.
Where does 不忘沟壑 come from?
不忘沟壑 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 不忘沟壑?
沟壑：山沟。念念不忘为正义而死，弃尸山沟。形容有为正义献身的思想准备。也比喻人发迹之后不忘过去贫贱的日子。