闻鸡起舞
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
Mandarin [edit]
| simpl. | 闻鸡起舞 | |
|---|---|---|
| trad. | 聞雞起舞 | |
Etymology [edit]
Literally: get up and do (sword) practice upon hearing the roosters (crow)
- 648: Fang Xuanling ed., Book of Jin, Biography of Zu Ti (晋书·祖逖传)
- Based on a story in his biography in which Zu Ti would get up with the sound of the roosters in order to practice his martial arts.
Idiom [edit]
闻鸡起舞 (simplified, Pinyin wén jī qǐ wǔ, traditional 聞雞起舞)
- be a go getter; be a self-starter
