怨天尤人

Chinese

		blame; complain	day; sky; heaven	outstanding; particularly; especially	man; person; people
trad. (怨天尤人)		怨	天	尤	人
simp. #(怨天尤人)		怨	天	尤	人
Literally: “to blame the gods and accuse others”.

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 14 (《論語·憲問》):

子曰：「不怨天，不尤人，下學而上達，知我者，其天乎！」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「不怨天，不尤人，下学而上达，知我者，其天乎！」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Bù yuàn tiān, bù yóu rén, xià xué ér shàng dá, zhī wǒ zhě, qí tiān hū!” [Pinyin]

The Master replied, "I do not murmur against Heaven. I do not grumble against men. My studies lie low, and my penetration rises high. But there is Heaven - that knows me!"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yuàntiān-yóurén

  (Zhuyin): ㄩㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyun³ tin¹ jau⁴ jan⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yen-thiên-yù-ngìn / yan-thiên-yù-ngìn
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): oàn-thiⁿ-iû-jîn / oàn-thiⁿ-iû-lîn

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yuàntiān-yóurén
    • Zhuyin: ㄩㄢˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄡˊ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yuàntianyóurén
    • Wade–Giles: yüan⁴-tʻien¹-yu²-jên²
    • Yale: ywàn-tyān-yóu-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuanntianyouren
    • Palladius: юаньтяньюжэнь (juanʹtjanʹjužɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɥɛn⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ joʊ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jyun³ tin¹ jau⁴ jan⁴
    • Yale: yun tīn yàuh yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jyn³ tin¹ jau⁴ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yun³ tin¹ yeo⁴ yen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyːn³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ jɐu̯²¹ jɐn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yen-thiên-yù-ngìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: ien tien^ˊ iu^ˇ ngin^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴ tian¹ yiu² ngin²
    • Sinological IPA: /i̯en⁵⁵ tʰi̯en²⁴ i̯u¹¹ ŋin¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yan-thiên-yù-ngìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)ian tien^ˊ (r)iu^ˇ ngin^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴ tian¹ yiu² ngin²
    • Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯an⁵⁵ tʰi̯en²⁴ (j)i̯u¹¹ ŋin¹¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: oàn-thiⁿ-iû-jîn
    • Tâi-lô: uàn-thinn-iû-jîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: oarntvi'iujiin
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /uan²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴ iu²³⁻³³ zin²³/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: oàn-thiⁿ-iû-lîn
    • Tâi-lô: uàn-thinn-iû-lîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: oarntvi'iuliin
    • IPA (Taipei): /uan¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰĩ⁴⁴ iu²⁴⁻¹¹ lin²⁴/

Idiom

怨天尤人

1. to blame god and man; to blame everyone and everything but oneself