人生識字憂患始

Chinese

		life	to know characters; to learn to read; to know how to read to know characters; to learn to read; to know how to read; to be literate	suffering; hardship; misery	begin
trad. (人生識字憂患始)		人生	識字	憂患	始
simp. (人生识字忧患始)		人生	识字	忧患	始

Etymology

From 石蒼舒醉墨堂 by Su Shi (蘇軾):

人生識字憂患始，姓名粗記可以休。何用草書誇神速，開卷戃怳令人愁。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

人生识字忧患始，姓名粗记可以休。何用草书夸神速，开卷𰑿怳令人愁。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ, xìngmíng cū jì kěyǐ xiū. Hé yòng cǎoshū kuā shénsù, kāijuǎn chǎnghuǎng lìngrén chóu. [Pinyin]

Misery of life starts at literacy. Knowing roughly the name is more than necessary. Why bother using cursive calligraphy to flaunt swiftness? I opened a book, whose incomprehensibility brings me sadness.

Note that Su Shi is actually a famous scholar-official as well as a calligrapher. This poem was written for Shi Cangshu (石蒼舒) who shared the same interest in calligraphy with Su Shi and exceedingly appreciated Su Shi's calligraphy.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ, rénshēng shìzì yōuhuàn shǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˊ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ, ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˋ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ sang¹ sik¹ zi⁶ jau¹ waan⁶ ci²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˊ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénsheng shíhzìh youhuàn shǐh
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-shêng¹ shih²-tzŭ⁴ yu¹-huan⁴ shih³
    • Yale: rén-shēng shŕ-dz̀ yōu-hwàn shř
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rensheng shyrtzyh iouhuann shyy
    • Palladius: жэньшэн шицзы юхуань ши (žɛnʹšɛn šiczy juxuanʹ ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénshēng shìzì yōuhuàn shǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄥ ㄕˋ ㄗˋ ㄧㄡ ㄏㄨㄢˋ ㄕˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénsheng shìhzìh youhuàn shǐh
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-shêng¹ shih⁴-tzŭ⁴ yu¹-huan⁴ shih³
    • Yale: rén-shēng shr̀-dz̀ yōu-hwàn shř
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rensheng shyhtzyh iouhuann shyy
    • Palladius: жэньшэн шицзы юхуань ши (žɛnʹšɛn šiczy juxuanʹ ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ joʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯än⁵¹ ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ sang¹ sik¹ zi⁶ jau¹ waan⁶ ci²
    • Yale: yàhn sāng sīk jih yāu waahn chí
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ sang¹ sik⁷ dzi⁶ jau¹ waan⁶ tsi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ seng¹ xig¹ ji⁶ yeo¹ wan⁶ qi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ sɐŋ⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵ t͡siː²² jɐu̯⁵⁵ waːn²² t͡sʰiː³⁵/

Idiom

人生識字憂患始

1. misery of life starts at literacy; ignorance is bliss

Descendants

• → Japanese: 人生字を識るは憂患の始め (jinsei ji o shiru wa yūkan no hajime) (calque)
• Japanese: 識字憂患 (shikiji yūkan)
• Korean: 식자우환 (sikjauhwan)

See also

• 難得糊塗／难得糊涂
• 無知是福／无知是福 (wúzhī shì fú, “ignorance is bliss”)