韋編三絕

Chinese

	surname; soft leather	weave; plait; organize weave; plait; organize; group; arrange; edit; compile; write; compose; fabricate	three	cut short; extinct; to disappear cut short; extinct; to disappear; to vanish; absolutely; by no means
trad. (韋編三絕)	韋	編	三	絕
simp. (韦编三绝)	韦	编	三	绝
alternative forms	三絕韋編／三绝韦编
anagram	三絕韋編／三绝韦编
Literally: “the leather binding (of the bamboo scroll) has broken three times”.

Etymology

From the story of Confucius studying the Classic of Changes so diligently that the tanned leather threads which connected the bamboo slips broke several times. Directly from:

孔子晚而喜易，序彖、繫、象、說卦、文言。讀易，韋編三絕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

孔子晚而喜易，序彖、系、象、说卦、文言。读易，韦编三绝。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Kǒngzǐ wǎn ér xǐ Yì, xù Tuàn, Xì, Xiàng, Shuōguà, Wényán. Dú Yì, wéibiān sān jué. [Pinyin]

In his old age Confucius loved to study the Book of Changes and wrote commentaries titled Tuan (Commentary on the Judgment), Xici (Commentary on the Appended Phrases), Xiang (lit. image), Shuogua (lit. Explanation of the Trigrams) and Wenyan (Commentary on the Words). He studied this book so much that the leather thongs binding the wooden strips wore out thrice.

Note that in Classical Chinese 三 may also mean many instead of being exactly three.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wéibiānsānjué

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧㄢㄙㄢㄐㄩㄝˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶ / wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wéibiānsānjué
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧㄢㄙㄢㄐㄩㄝˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wéibiansanjyué
  - Wade–Giles: wei²-pien¹-san¹-chüeh²
  - Yale: wéi-byān-sān-jywé
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weibiansanjyue
  - Palladius: вэйбяньсаньцзюэ (vɛjbjanʹsanʹczjue)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯³⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵⁵ sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕy̯ɛ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶ / wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ zyut⁶
  - Yale: wàih pīn sāam jyuht / wáih pīn sāam jyuht
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁴ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹ / wai⁵ pin¹ saam¹ dzyt⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: wei⁴ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶ / wei⁵ pin¹ sam¹ jud⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²¹ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/, /wɐi̯¹³ pʰiːn⁵⁵ saːm⁵⁵ t͡syːt̚²/

Idiom

韋編三絕

(figurative) to study diligently