吃得苦中苦，方為人上人

Chinese

		eat; eradicate; destroy eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; stammer	get; obtain; gain get; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to	bitter; intensely; miserable bitter; intensely; miserable; painful	middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing something); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark)	bitter; intensely; miserable bitter; intensely; miserable; painful		square; quadrilateral; place square; quadrilateral; place; region; direction; side; method; way; prescription; power; upright; just	because of; for; to because of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become	man who is above men; one who is above the others in the society; top person
trad. (吃得苦中苦，方為人上人/吃得苦中苦，方爲人上人)		吃	得	苦	中	苦	，	方	為/爲	人上人
simp. (吃得苦中苦，方为人上人)		吃	得	苦	中	苦	，	方	为	人上人
Literally: “Only those who endure the hardest hardships will be the best of the best.”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chī de kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén

  (Zhuyin): ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄎㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨˇ , ㄈㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hek³ dak¹ fu² zung¹ fu², fong¹ wai⁴ jan⁴ soeng⁶ jan⁴
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): ngeg⁴ dig⁴ kou² dang¹ kou², huang¹ ui⁵ nang⁵ ziên⁷ nang⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chī de kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén
    • Zhuyin: ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄎㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨˇ , ㄈㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chih de̊ kǔ jhong kǔ, fang wéi rén shàng rén
    • Wade–Giles: chʻih¹ tê⁵ kʻu³ chung¹ kʻu³, fang¹ wei² jên² shang⁴ jên²
    • Yale: chr̄ de kǔ jūng kǔ-, fāng wéi rén shàng rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chy .de kuu jong kuu, fang wei ren shanq ren
    • Palladius: чи дэ ку чжун ку, фан вэй жэнь шан жэнь (či dɛ ku čžun ku, fan vɛj žɛnʹ šan žɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ d̥ə² kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hek³ dak¹ fu² zung¹ fu², fong¹ wai⁴ jan⁴ soeng⁶ jan⁴
    • Yale: hek dāk fú jūng fú, fōng wàih yàhn seuhng yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hek⁸ dak⁷ fu² dzung¹ fu², fong¹ wai⁴ jan⁴ soeng⁶ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hég³ deg¹ fu² zung¹ fu², fong¹ wei⁴ yen⁴ sêng⁶ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɛːk̚³ tɐk̚⁵ fuː³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ wɐi̯²¹ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ²² jɐn²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ngeg⁴ dig⁴ kou² dang¹ kou², huang¹ ui⁵ nang⁵ ziên⁷ nang⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ngṳk tik khóu tang khóu, huang ûi nâng tsiēⁿ nâng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɯk̚²⁻⁴ tik̚²⁻⁴ kʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ taŋ³³⁻²³ kʰou⁵² huaŋ³³⁻²³ ui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sĩẽ¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/

Proverb

吃得苦中苦，方為人上人

1. no pain, no gain; Only those who have endured the most difficult hardships can step on the topmost ones of the topmost people.

   • 為這上頭，也不知捱了多少打，罰了多少跪；到如今才掙得兩榜進士！……這才合了俗語說的一句話，叫做：『吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。』 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     为这上头，也不知捱了多少打，罚了多少跪；到如今才挣得两榜进士！……这才合了俗语说的一句话，叫做：『吃得苦中苦，方为人上人。』 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Officialdom Unmasked

     Wèi zhè shàngtóu, yě bùzhī ái le duōshào dǎ, fá le duōshào guì; dào rújīn cái zhèng dé liǎng bǎng jìnshì!...... Zhè cái hé le súyǔ shuō de yījù huà, jiàozuò: ‘Chīdékǔzhōngkǔ, fāngwéirénshàngrén.’ [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• 不受苦中苦，難為人上人／不受苦中苦，难为人上人
• 不吃苦中苦，難為人上人／不吃苦中苦，难为人上人