穷当益坚 qióng dāng yì jiān

DEFINITIONS

  1. poor but ambitious (idiom); hard-pressed but determined
  2. the worse one's position, the harder one must fight back

CHARACTERS

穷 qióng
HSK 4
poor, destitute, impoverished
当 dāng
HSK 3
bear, accept, undertake; just
益 yì
HSK 5
profit, benefit; advantage
坚 jiān
HSK 4
hard, strong, firm; resolute