篳路藍縷

Chinese

	firewood	cart	shabbily dressed
trad. (篳路藍縷)	篳	路	藍縷
simp. (筚路蓝缕)	筚	路	蓝缕
alternative forms	蓽路藍縷／荜路蓝缕蓽露藍蔞／荜露蓝蒌篳路襤褸／筚路褴褛
Literally: “drive a cart in rags to blaze a new trail”.

Etymology

From Zuozhuan:

訓之以若敖、蚡冒篳路藍縷以啟山林。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

训之以若敖、蚡冒筚路蓝缕以启山林。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

Xùn zhī yǐ Ruò'áo, Fénmào bìlù lánlǚ yǐ qǐ shānlín. [Pinyin]

He admonishes them on how the Chu ancestors Ruo'ao and Fenmao, riding in rugged wooden carts and clad in tattered hemp, opened up hills and forests for cultivation.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bìlùlánlǚ

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ leoi⁵ / bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bìlùlánlǚ
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨˋ ㄌㄢˊ ㄌㄩˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bìlùlánlyǔ
  - Wade–Giles: pi⁴-lu⁴-lan²-lü³
  - Yale: bì-lù-lán-lyǔ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bihluhlanleu
  - Palladius: билуланьлюй (bilulanʹljuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu⁵¹ län³⁵ ly²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ leoi⁵ / bat¹ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵
  - Yale: bāt louh làahm léuih / bāt louh làahm láuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ lou⁶ laam⁴ loey⁵ / bat⁷ lou⁶ laam⁴ lau⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ lou⁶ lam⁴ lêu⁵ / bed¹ lou⁶ lam⁴ leo⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² laːm²¹ lɵy̯¹³/, /pɐt̚⁵ lou̯²² laːm²¹ lɐu̯¹³/

Idiom

篳路藍縷

(figurative, of a pioneer) braving hardships and difficulties in beginning an undertaking