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.]

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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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rènzhòngdàoyuǎn

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˋ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄩㄢˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jam⁶ zung⁶ dou⁶ jyun⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rènzhòngdàoyuǎn
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˋ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄠˋ ㄩㄢˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rènjhòngdàoyuǎn
    • Wade–Giles: jên⁴-chung⁴-tao⁴-yüan³
    • Yale: rèn-jùng-dàu-ywǎn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rennjonqdawyeuan
    • Palladius: жэньчжундаоюань (žɛnʹčžundaojuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɥɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jam⁶ zung⁶ dou⁶ jyun⁵
    • Yale: yahm juhng douh yúhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jam⁶ dzung⁶ dou⁶ jyn⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: yem⁶ zung⁶ dou⁶ yun⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐm²² t͡sʊŋ²² tou̯²² jyːn¹³/

Idiom

任重道遠

1. to shoulder a heavy responsibility for a long time