任重道遠

See also: 任重道远

Chinese

 
to assign; to appoint; office
to assign; to appoint; office; responsibility
 
heavy; serious; to double
heavy; serious; to double; to repeat; repetition; iteration; again; a layer
 
direction; way; method
direction; way; method; road; path; principle; truth; reason; skill; Tao (of Taoism); a measure word; to say; to speak; to talk
far; distant; remote
trad. (任重道遠) 任 重 道 遠
simp. (任重道远) 任 重 道 远
Literally: “heavy load and long course”.

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 8 (《論語·泰伯》):

曾子曰:「士不可以不弘毅,任重而道遠。仁以為己任,不亦重乎?死而後已,不亦遠乎?」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
曾子曰:“士不可以不弘毅,任重而道远。仁以为己任,不亦重乎?死而后已,不亦远乎?” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zēngzǐ yuē: “Shì bùkěyǐ bù hóng yì, rèn zhòng ér dào yuǎn. Rén yǐwéi jǐ rèn, bù yì zhòng hū? Sǐ érhòu yǐ, bù yì yuǎn hū?” [Pinyin]
The philosopher Zeng said, "The officer may not be without breadth of mind and vigorous endurance. His burden is heavy and his course is long. Perfect virtue is the burden which he considers it is his to sustain - is it not heavy? Only with death does his course stop - is it not long?"

Pronunciation


Idiom

任重道遠

  1. to shoulder a heavy responsibility for a long time
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