# 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人
## Chinese

| | | eat; eradicate; destroyeat; eradicate; destroy; receive; stammer | get; obtain; gainget; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to | bitter; intensely; miserablebitter; intensely; miserable; painful | middle; centre; withinmiddle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing something); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark) | bitter; intensely; miserablebitter; intensely; miserable; painful | | square; quadrilateral; placesquare; quadrilateral; place; region; direction; side; method; way; prescription; power; upright; just | because of; for; tobecause of; for; to; act as; take...to be; to be; to do; to serve as; to become | man who is above men; one who is above the others in the society; top person |
| trad. (吃得苦中苦，方為人上人/吃得苦中苦，方爲人上人) | trad. (吃得苦中苦，方為人上人/吃得苦中苦，方爲人上人) | 吃 | 得 | 苦 | 中 | 苦 | ， | 方 | 為/爲 | 人上人 |
| simp. (吃得苦中苦，方为人上人) | simp. (吃得苦中苦，方为人上人) | 吃 | 得 | 苦 | 中 | 苦 | ， | 方 | 为 | 人上人 |
| Literally: “Only those who endure the hardest hardships will be the best of the best.” |||||||||||

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): chī de kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén
    (Zhuyin): ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄎㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨˇ , ㄈㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): hek$^3$ dak$^1$ fu$^2$ zung$^1$ fu$^2$, fong$^1$ wai$^4$ jan$^4$ soeng$^6$ jan$^4$
* Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): ngeg$^4$ dig$^4$ kou$^2$ dang$^1$ kou$^2$, huang$^1$ ui$^5$ nang$^5$ ziên$^7$ nang$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: chī de kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén
*** Zhuyin: ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄎㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨˇ , ㄈㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: chih de̊ kǔ jhong kǔ, fang wéi rén shàng rén
*** Wade–Giles: chʻih$^1$ tê$^5$ kʻu$^3$ chung$^1$ kʻu$^3$, fang$^1$ wei$^2$ jên$^2$ shang$^4$ jên$^2$
*** Yale: chr̄ de kǔ jūng kǔ-, fāng wéi rén shàng rén
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chy .de kuu jong kuu, fang wei ren shanq ren
*** Palladius: чи дэ ку чжун ку, фан вэй жэнь шан жэнь (či dɛ ku čžun ku, fan vɛj žɛnʹ šan žɛnʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ d̥ə² kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: hek$^3$ dak$^1$ fu$^2$ zung$^1$ fu$^2$, fong$^1$ wai$^4$ jan$^4$ soeng$^6$ jan$^4$
*** Yale: hek dāk fú jūng fú, fōng wàih yàhn seuhng yàhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: hek$^8$ dak$^7$ fu$^2$ dzung$^1$ fu$^2$, fong$^1$ wai$^4$ jan$^4$ soeng$^6$ jan$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: hég$^3$ deg$^1$ fu$^2$ zung$^1$ fu$^2$, fong$^1$ wei$^4$ yen$^4$ sêng$^6$ yen$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɛːk̚³ tɐk̚⁵ fuː³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ wɐi̯²¹ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ²² jɐn²¹/
* Southern Min
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ngeg$^4$ dig$^4$ kou$^2$ dang$^1$ kou$^2$, huang$^1$ ui$^5$ nang$^5$ ziên$^7$ nang$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ngṳk tik khóu tang khóu, huang ûi nâng tsiēⁿ nâng
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋɯk̚²⁻⁴ tik̚²⁻⁴ kʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ taŋ³³⁻²³ kʰou⁵² huaŋ³³⁻²³ ui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sĩẽ¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/

### Proverb

吃得苦中苦，方為人上人
* no pain, no gain; Only those who have endured the most difficult hardships can step on the topmost ones of the topmost people.
** 為這上頭，也不知捱了多少打，罰了多少跪；到如今才掙得兩榜進士！……這才合了俗語說的一句話，叫做：『吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。』 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.] 为这上头，也不知捱了多少打，罚了多少跪；到如今才挣得两榜进士！……这才合了俗语说的一句话，叫做：『吃得苦中苦，方为人上人。』 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]From: Officialdom UnmaskedWèi zhè shàngtóu, yě bùzhī ái le duōshào dǎ, fá le duōshào guì; dào rújīn cái zhèng dé liǎng bǎng jìnshì!...... Zhè cái hé le súyǔ shuō de yījù huà, jiàozuò: ‘Chīdékǔzhōngkǔ, fāngwéirénshàngrén.’ [Pinyin](please add an English translation of this usage example)