發憤忘食

See also: 发愤忘食

Chinese

		to express one's strong emotions	to forget to eat; to neglect one's meals; to be so preoccupied as to forget mealtime
trad. (發憤忘食)		發憤	忘食
simp. (发愤忘食)		发愤	忘食

Etymology

From the Analects:

子曰：「女奚不曰：“其爲人也，發憤忘食，樂以忘憂，不知老之將至云爾。”」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「女奚不曰：“其为人也，发愤忘食，乐以忘忧，不知老之将至云尔。”」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

Zǐyuē: “Rǔ xī bù yuē: “Qí wéirén yě, fāfènwàngshí, lè yǐ wàngyōu, bùzhī lǎo zhī jiāng zhì yún'ěr.”” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "Why did you not say to him,—He is simply a man, who in his eager pursuit (of knowledge) forgets his food, who in the joy of its attainment forgets his sorrows, and who does not perceive that old age is coming on?"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fāfènwàngshí

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄚ ㄈㄣˋ ㄨㄤˋ ㄕˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): faat³ fan⁵ mong⁴ sik⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fāfènwàngshí
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄚ ㄈㄣˋ ㄨㄤˋ ㄕˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fafènwàngshíh
    • Wade–Giles: fa¹-fên⁴-wang⁴-shih²
    • Yale: fā-fèn-wàng-shŕ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fafennwanqshyr
    • Palladius: фафэньванши (fafɛnʹvanši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fä⁵⁵ fən⁵¹⁻⁵³ wɑŋ⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: faat³ fan⁵ mong⁴ sik⁶
    • Yale: faat fáhn mòhng sihk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faat⁸ fan⁵ mong⁴ sik⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: fad³ fen⁵ mong⁴ xig⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /faːt̚³ fɐn¹³ mɔːŋ²¹ sɪk̚²/

Idiom

發憤忘食

1. to study or work hard, neglecting one's meals; be so immersed in work as to forget one's meals