忠言逆耳

Chinese

		sincere advice; earnest advice	to grate on the ear; to be unpleasant to the ear
trad. (忠言逆耳)		忠言	逆耳
simp. #(忠言逆耳)		忠言	逆耳

Etymology

From Shiji:

且忠言逆耳利於行，毒藥苦口利於病，願沛公聽樊噲言！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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且忠言逆耳利于行，毒药苦口利于病，愿沛公听樊哙言！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

Qiě zhōngyánnì'ěr lì yú xíng, dúyào kǔkǒu lì yú bìng, yuàn Pèigōng tīng Fán Kuài yán! [Pinyin]

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhōngyánnì'ěr

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄨㄥ ㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄧˋ ㄦˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zung¹ jin⁴ jik⁴ ji⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhōngyánnì'ěr
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄥ ㄧㄢˊ ㄋㄧˋ ㄦˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhongyánnì-ěr
    • Wade–Giles: chung¹-yen²-ni⁴-êrh³
    • Yale: jūng-yán-nì-ěr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jongyanniheel
    • Palladius: чжунъяньниэр (čžunʺjanʹnier)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ jɛn³⁵ ni⁵¹ ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zung¹ jin⁴ jik⁴ ji⁵
    • Yale: jūng yìhn yìhk yíh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzung¹ jin⁴ jik⁴ ji⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: zung¹ yin⁴ yig⁴ yi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jiːn²¹ jɪk̚²¹ jiː¹³/

Idiom

忠言逆耳

1. sincere advice may be unpleasant to the ear (but it is beneficial)

See also

• 良藥苦口／良药苦口 (liángyàokǔkǒu)