吃一塹，長一智

Chinese

		eat; eradicate; destroy eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; stammer	one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	moat around a city		long; length; forever long; length; forever; always; constantly; chief; head; elder; to grow; to develop	one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	wisdom; knowledge
trad. (吃一塹，長一智)		吃	一	塹	，	長	一	智
simp. (吃一堑，长一智)		吃	一	堑	，	长	一	智

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chī yī qiàn, zhǎng yī zhì

  (Zhuyin): ㄔ ㄧ ㄑㄧㄢˋ , ㄓㄤˇ ㄧ ㄓˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hek³ jat¹ cim³, zoeng² jat¹ zi³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chī yī qiàn, zhǎng yī zhì [Phonetic: chī yí qiàn, zhǎng yí zhì]
    • Zhuyin: ㄔ ㄧ ㄑㄧㄢˋ , ㄓㄤˇ ㄧ ㄓˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chih yi ciàn, jhǎng yi jhìh
    • Wade–Giles: chʻih¹ i¹ chʻien⁴, chang³ i¹ chih⁴
    • Yale: chr̄ yī chyàn-, jǎng yī jr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chy i chiann, jaang i jyh
    • Palladius: чи и цянь, чжан и чжи (či i cjanʹ, čžan i čži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hek³ jat¹ cim³, zoeng² jat¹ zi³
    • Yale: hek yāt chim, jéung yāt ji
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hek⁸ jat⁷ tsim³, dzoeng² jat⁷ dzi³
    • Guangdong Romanization: hég³ yed¹ qim³, zêng² yed¹ ji³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɛːk̚³ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰiːm³³ t͡sœːŋ³⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡siː³³/

Idiom

吃一塹，長一智

1. a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit; wisdom grows out of experience

   • 人們經過失敗之後，也就從失敗取得教訓，改正自己的思想使之適合於外界的規律性，人們就能變失敗為勝利，所謂「失敗者成功之母」，「吃一塹長一智」，就是這個道理。 [MSC, trad.]
     人们经过失败之后，也就从失败取得教训，改正自己的思想使之适合于外界的规律性，人们就能变失败为胜利，所谓「失败者成功之母」，「吃一堑长一智」，就是这个道理。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1937, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《實踐論》 (On Practice), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Rénmen jīngguò shībài zhīhòu, yě jiù cóng shībài qǔdé jiàoxùn, gǎizhèng zìjǐ de sīxiǎng shǐ zhī shìhé yú wàijiè de guīlǜxìng, rénmen jiù néng biàn shībài wéi shènglì, suǒwèi “shībài zhě chénggōng zhī mǔ”, “chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì”, jiùshì zhège dàolǐ. [Pinyin]

     After they fail, they draw their lessons, correct their ideas to make them correspond to the laws of the external world, and can thus turn failure into success; this is what is meant by “failure is the mother of success” and “a fall into the pit, a gain in your wit”.