鞠躬盡瘁,死而後已

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Chinese

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to bend oneself to a task and exert oneself to the utmost; to spare no effort in the performance of one's duty until one's dying day; not giving up until death
trad. (鞠躬盡瘁,死而後已) 鞠躬盡瘁 死而後已
simp. (鞠躬尽瘁,死而后已) 鞠躬尽瘁 死而后已

Etymology

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From the Later Chu Shi Biao:

先帝敗軍當此時,曹操拊手天下然後先帝吳越西巴蜀舉兵夏侯授首失計然後,關羽毀敗秭歸蹉跌,曹丕稱帝凡事如是逆見鞠躬盡瘁,死而後已至於成敗利鈍逆覩 [MSC, trad.]
先帝败军当此时,曹操拊手天下然后先帝吴越西巴蜀举兵夏侯授首失计然后,关羽毁败秭归蹉跌,曹丕称帝凡事如是逆见鞠躬尽瘁,死而后已至于成败利钝逆睹 [MSC, simp.]
From: 228, Zhuge Liang, 後出師表
Fū nán píng zhě, shì yě. Xī xiāndì bàijūn yú Chǔ, dāngcǐshí, Cáo Cāo fǔshǒu, wèi tiānxià yǐ dìng. Ránhòu xiāndì dōng lián Wú Yuè, xī qǔ Bā Shǔ, jǔbīng běi zhēng, Xiàhóu shòushǒu, cǐ Cāo zhī shījì ér hàn shì jiāng chéng yě. Ránhòu Wú gèng wéi méng, Guān Yǔ huǐbài, Zǐguī cuōdiē, Cáo Pī chēngdì. Fánshì rúshì, nán kě nìjiàn. Chén jūgōng jìncuì, sǐ ér hòu yǐ, zhìyú chéngbài lìdùn, fēi chén zhī míng suǒ néng nìdǔ yě. [Pinyin]
What is difficult to comment on and determine is war. Long ago, the Late Emperor was defeated in Chu. At this time, Cao Cao clapped his hands and said that the Chinese nation had been pacified. Then the Late Emperor allied with the states of Wu and Yue in the east, captured the kingdoms of Ba and Shu in the west, and dispatched troops to attack the north, and Xaihou was beheaded. This was Cao’s miscalculation, and the great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty was going to succeed. Then Wu changed its attitude and reneged on the alliance, Guan Yu was destroyed, the Late Emperor made a mistake at Zigui, and Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor. In all things like this, they are difficult to be able to predict. I shall bend myself to the task and exert myself to the utmost and not give up until my death. As for whether the cause succeeds or fails and whether it progresses smoothly or roughly, that is not what my wisdom could have foreseen.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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鞠躬盡瘁,死而後已

  1. to bend one's back to the task until one's dying day; to give one's all till one's heart stops beating