生於憂患，死於安樂 shēng yú yōu huàn ， sǐ yú ān lè

to thrive in calamity and perish in soft living (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. to thrive in calamity and perish in soft living (idiom)
  2. 2. life springs from sorrow and calamity, death comes from ease and pleasure

Characters

Character Meaning
生 shēng HSK 1
life; to be born; raw
於 yú
at; in; to
憂 yōu
to worry; worried; anxiety
患 huàn HSK 6
to suffer (from illness); to contract (a disease); worry
死 sǐ HSK 4
to die; extremely; inflexible
於 yú
at; in; to
安 ān HSK 3
safe; secure; safety
樂 lè
happy; cheerful; to laugh