鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已

Chinese

		to bend oneself to a task and exert oneself to the utmost; to spare no effort in the performance of one's duty		until one's dying day; not giving up until death
trad. (鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已)		鞠躬盡瘁	，	死而後已
simp. (鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已)		鞠躬尽瘁	，	死而后已

Etymology

From the Later Chu Shi Biao:

夫難平者，事也。昔先帝敗軍於楚，當此時，曹操拊手，謂天下以定。然後先帝東連吳越，西取巴蜀，舉兵北征，夏侯授首，此操之失計而漢事將成也。然後吳更違盟，關羽毀敗，秭歸蹉跌，曹丕稱帝。凡事如是，難可逆見。臣鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已，至於成敗利鈍，非臣之明所能逆覩也。 [MSC, trad.]

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夫难平者，事也。昔先帝败军于楚，当此时，曹操拊手，谓天下以定。然后先帝东连吴越，西取巴蜀，举兵北征，夏侯授首，此操之失计而汉事将成也。然后吴更违盟，关羽毁败，秭归蹉跌，曹丕称帝。凡事如是，难可逆见。臣鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已，至于成败利钝，非臣之明所能逆睹也。 [MSC, simp.]

From: 228, Zhuge Liang, 後出師表

Fū nán píng zhě, shì yě. Xī xiāndì bàijūn yú Chǔ, dāngcǐshí, Cáo Cāo fǔshǒu, wèi tiānxià yǐ dìng. Ránhòu xiāndì dōng lián Wú Yuè, xī qǔ Bā Shǔ, jǔbīng běi zhēng, Xiàhóu shòushǒu, cǐ Cāo zhī shījì ér hàn shì jiāng chéng yě. Ránhòu Wú gèng wéi méng, Guān Yǔ huǐbài, Zǐguī cuōdiē, Cáo Pī chēngdì. Fánshì rúshì, nán kě nìjiàn. Chén jūgōng jìncuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ, zhìyú chéngbài lìdùn, fēi chén zhī míng suǒ néng nìdǔ yě. [Pinyin]

What is difficult to comment on and determine is war. Long ago, the Late Emperor was defeated in Chu. At this time, Cao Cao clapped his hands and said that the Chinese nation had been pacified. Then the Late Emperor allied with the states of Wu and Yue in the east, captured the kingdoms of Ba and Shu in the west, and dispatched troops to attack the north, and Xaihou was beheaded. This was Cao’s miscalculation, and the great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty was going to succeed. Then Wu changed its attitude and reneged on the alliance, Guan Yu was destroyed, the Late Emperor made a mistake at Zigui, and Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor. In all things like this, they are difficult to be able to predict. I shall bend myself to the task and exert myself to the utmost and not give up until my death. As for whether the cause succeeds or fails and whether it progresses smoothly or roughly, that is not what my wisdom could have foreseen.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jū gōng jìn cuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ, jú gōng jìn cuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄘㄨㄟˋ , ㄙˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄧˇ, ㄐㄩˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄘㄨㄟˋ , ㄙˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄧˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): guk¹ gung¹ zeon⁶ seoi⁶, sei² ji⁴ hau⁶ ji⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jū gōng jìn cuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄩ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄘㄨㄟˋ , ㄙˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jyu gong jìn cuèi, sǐh ér hòu yǐ
    • Wade–Giles: chü¹ kung¹ chin⁴ tsʻui⁴, ssŭ³ êrh² hou⁴ i³
    • Yale: jyū gūng jìn tswèi-, sž ér hòu yǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiu gong jinn tsuey, syy erl how yii
    • Palladius: цзюй гун цзинь цуй, сы эр хоу и (czjuj gun czinʹ cuj, sy er xou i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy⁵⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jú gōng jìn cuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄩˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄘㄨㄟˋ , ㄙˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jyú gong jìn cuèi, sǐh ér hòu yǐ
    • Wade–Giles: chü² kung¹ chin⁴ tsʻui⁴, ssŭ³ êrh² hou⁴ i³
    • Yale: jyú gūng jìn tswèi-, sž ér hòu yǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyu gong jinn tsuey, syy erl how yii
    • Palladius: цзюй гун цзинь цуй, сы эр хоу и (czjuj gun czinʹ cuj, sy er xou i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: guk¹ gung¹ zeon⁶ seoi⁶, sei² ji⁴ hau⁶ ji⁵
    • Yale: gūk gūng jeuhn seuih, séi yìh hauh yíh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: guk⁷ gung¹ dzoen⁶ soey⁶, sei² ji⁴ hau⁶ ji⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: gug¹ gung¹ zên⁶ sêu⁶, séi² yi⁴ heo⁶ yi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊk̚⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡sɵn²² sɵy̯²² sei̯³⁵ jiː²¹ hɐu̯²² jiː¹³/

Idiom

鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已

1. to bend one's back to the task until one's dying day; to give one's all till one's heart stops beating