勤以立身 — “To establish oneself through diligence and hard work”

勤以立身 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to establish oneself through diligence and hard work”. Often implying a disciplined and thrifty lifestyle. Literally, “Diligence to establish oneself”.

Frequency

勤以立身 Pronunciation and Pinyin

勤以立身 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
勤	qín	13	diligent, hardworking
以	yǐ	5	by means of
立	lì	5	stand, establish, immediately
身	shēn	7	body, person, life, self

Example Sentence with 勤以立身

他从小就明白勤以立身的道理，因此学习和工作都非常努力。

He understood the principle of establishing oneself through diligence from an early age, so he worked very hard in his studies and work.

Origin and Story of 勤以立身

During the Ming Dynasty, Song Lian came from a poor family and could not afford to buy books. He had to borrow books from others to copy them. Regardless of the bitter cold, he diligently copied the books to return them on time. He also frequently traveled hundreds of li to seek guidance from scholars. He was extremely industrious in his studies and very thrifty in his daily life, leading to rapid progress in his scholarship.

Later, he rose to the position of an academician and was appointed chief editor of the 'History of Yuan.' Throughout his distinguished career, he maintained his commitment to diligence and frugality, embodying the spirit of '勤以立身' (to establish oneself through diligence).