先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐
xiān tiān xià zhī yōu ér yōu , hòu tiān xià zhī lè ér lè
Pinyin

Definition

先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐
 - 
xiān tiān xià zhī yōu ér yōu , hòu tiān xià zhī lè ér lè
  1. The first concern is affairs of state, enjoying the pleasure comes later. Quotation from essay On Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓記|岳阳楼记 by Song writer Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹[Fàn Zhòng yān]

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

一下
yī xià
  1. 1 (used after a verb) give it a go
  2. 2 to do (sth for a bit to give it a try)
  3. 3 one time
  4. 4 once
  5. 5 in a while
  6. 6 all of a sudden
  7. 7 all at once
下
xià
  1. 1 down
  2. 2 downwards
  3. 3 below
  4. 4 lower
  5. 5 later
  6. 6 next (week etc)
  7. 7 second (of two parts)
  8. 8 to decline
  9. 9 to go down
  10. 10 to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc)
  11. 11 measure word to show the frequency of an action
下午
xià wǔ
  1. 1 afternoon
  2. 2 CL:個|个[gè]
  3. 3 p.m.
下载
xià zǎi
  1. 1 to download
  2. 2 also pr. [xià zài]
之
zhī
  1. 1 (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de])
  2. 2 him
  3. 3 her
  4. 4 it
今天
jīn tiān
  1. 1 today
  2. 2 at the present
  3. 3 now
先
xiān
  1. 1 early
  2. 2 prior
  3. 3 former
  4. 4 in advance
  5. 5 first
天
tiān
  1. 1 day
  2. 2 sky
  3. 3 heaven
天下
tiān xià
  1. 1 land under heaven
  2. 2 the whole world
  3. 3 the whole of China
  4. 4 realm
  5. 5 rule
天天
tiān tiān
  1. 1 every day
天气
tiān qì
  1. 1 weather
明天
míng tiān
  1. 1 tomorrow
昨天
zuó tiān
  1. 1 yesterday
而
ér
  1. 1 and
  2. 2 as well as
  3. 3 and so
  4. 4 but (not)
  5. 5 yet (not)
  6. 6 (indicates causal relation)
  7. 7 (indicates change of state)
  8. 8 (indicates contrast)
一下子
yī xià zi
  1. 1 in a short while
  2. 2 all at once
  3. 3 all of a sudden
上下
shàng xià
  1. 1 up and down
  2. 2 top and bottom
  3. 3 old and new
  4. 4 length
  5. 5 about
上天
shàng tiān
  1. 1 Heaven
  2. 2 Providence
  3. 3 God
  4. 4 the day before
  5. 5 the sky above
  6. 6 to fly to the sky
  7. 7 to take off and fly into space
  8. 8 to die
  9. 9 to pass away
下来
xià lai
  1. 1 to come down
  2. 2 (completed action marker)
  3. 3 (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.)
  4. 4 (indicates continuation from the past towards us)
  5. 5 to be harvested (of crops)
  6. 6 to be over (of a period of time)
  7. 7 to go among the masses (said of leaders)
下去
xià qù
  1. 1 to go down
  2. 2 to descend
  3. 3 to go on
  4. 4 to continue
  5. 5 (of a servant) to withdraw
下场
xià chǎng
  1. 1 to leave (the stage, an exam room, the playing field etc)
  2. 2 to take part in some activity
  3. 3 to take an examination (in the imperial examination system)

Idioms (20)

一不做，二不休
yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū
  1. 1 don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end
  2. 2 Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.
  3. 3 in for a penny, in for a pound
一丘之貉
yī qiū zhī hé
  1. 1 jackals of the same tribe (idiom); fig. They are all just as bad as each other.
一之为甚
yī zhī wéi shèn
  1. 1 once is more than enough (idiom)
一人得道，鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
  1. 1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
  3. 3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
  4. 4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一个天南，一个地北
yī ge tiān nán , yī ge dì běi
  1. 1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一传十，十传百
yī chuán shí , shí chuán bǎi
  1. 1 news pass quickly from mouth to mouth (idiom)
  2. 2 an infectious disease spreads quickly (old meaning)
一则以喜，一则以忧
yī zé yǐ xǐ , yī zé yǐ yōu
  1. 1 happy on the one hand, but worried on the other (idiom)
一哄而散
yī hōng ér sàn
  1. 1 to disperse in confusion (idiom)
一夫当关，万夫莫开
yī fū dāng guān , wàn fū mò kāi
  1. 1 one man can hold the pass against ten thousand enemies (idiom)
一寸��阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴
yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn , cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn
  1. 1 lit. An interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time. (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. Time is precious and must be treasured.
一年之计在于春
yī nián zhī jì zài yú chūn
  1. 1 the whole year must be planned for in the spring (idiom)
  2. 2 early planning is the key to success
一手交钱，一手交货
yī shǒu jiāo qián , yī shǒu jiāo huò
  1. 1 lit. one hand exchanges the cash, the other the goods (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to pay for what you want in cash
  3. 3 simple and direct transaction
一技之长
yī jì zhī cháng
  1. 1 proficiency in a particular field (idiom)
  2. 2 skill in a specialized area (idiom)
一掬同情之泪
yī jū tóng qíng zhī lèi
  1. 1 to shed tears of sympathy (idiom)
一拥而入
yī yōng ér rù
  1. 1 to swarm in (of people etc) (idiom)
一日不见，如隔三秋
yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū
  1. 1 one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
一日之计在于晨
yī rì zhī jì zài yú chén
  1. 1 make your day's plan early in the morning (idiom)
  2. 2 early morning is the golden time of the day
一日之雅
yī rì zhī yǎ
  1. 1 lit. friends for a day (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. casual acquaintance
一日为师，终身为父
yī rì wéi shī , zhōng shēn wéi fù
  1. 1 lit. teacher for one day, father for ever (idiom)
一是一，二是二
yī shì yī , èr shì èr
  1. 1 lit. one is one, two is two (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. things are (or ought to be) perfectly clear-cut
  3. 3 unequivocal

Sample Sentences