篳路藍縷

Chinese

		firewood	cart	shabbily dressed
trad. (篳路藍縷)		篳	路	藍縷
simp. (筚路蓝缕)		筚	路	蓝缕
alternative forms		蓽路藍縷／荜路蓝缕 蓽露藍蔞／荜露蓝蒌 篳路襤褸／筚路褴褛
Literally: “drive a cart in rags to blaze a new trail”.

Etymology

From Zuozhuan:

訓之以若敖、蚡冒篳路藍縷以啟山林。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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训之以若敖、蚡冒筚路蓝缕以启山林。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

Xùn zhī yǐ Ruò'áo, Fénmào bìlù lánlǚ yǐ qǐ shānlín. [Pinyin]

He admonishes them on how the Chu ancestors Ruo'ao and Fenmao, riding in rugged wooden carts and clad in tattered hemp, opened up hills and forests for cultivation.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bìlùlánlǚ

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ leoi⁵, bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bìlùlánlǚ
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bìlùlánlyǔ
    • Wade–Giles: pi⁴-lu⁴-lan²-lü³
    • Yale: bì-lù-lán-lyǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bihluhlanleu
    • Palladius: билуланьлюй (bilulanʹljuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹ län³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ leoi⁵, bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵
    • Yale: bāt louh làahm léuih, bāt louh làahm láuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ lou⁶ laam⁴ loey⁵, bat⁷ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ lou⁶ lam⁴ lêu⁵, bed¹ lou⁶ lam⁴ leo⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² laːm²¹ lɵy̯¹³/, /pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² laːm²¹ lɐu̯¹³/

Idiom

篳路藍縷

1. (figurative, of a pioneer) braving hardships and difficulties in beginning an undertaking