wén闻hearjī鸡roosterqǐ起risewǔ舞dance
Rising to practise sword at the cock's crow — relentless self-discipline.
Literal meaning
hear (闻) — rooster (鸡) — rise (起) — dance (舞)
Origin
Book of Jin (《晋书·祖逖传》). The Eastern Jin general Zu Ti (祖逖) and his friend Liu Kun (刘琨) shared a bed; whenever a rooster crowed at dawn, Zu Ti would kick Liu Kun awake and they'd both get up to practise the sword. Zu Ti went on to lead a famous northern expedition. The image has stood for early-rising self-discipline ever since.
Examples
Wèi为le了kǎo考shì试，tā他wén闻jī鸡qǐ起wǔ舞de地fù复xí习。
Preparing for the exam, he reviewed with dawn-to-dawn discipline.
Yùn运dòng动yuán员wén闻jī鸡qǐ起wǔ舞de地xùn训liàn练。
Athletes train with early-morning discipline.
Usage & nuances
Praise tone — captures the early-rising, no-excuses kind of effort.
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