wò卧liexīn薪firewoodcháng尝tastedǎn胆gall
Sleep on firewood, taste gall — endure self-imposed hardship to remember and avenge a defeat.
Literal meaning
lie (卧) — firewood (薪) — taste (尝) — gall (胆)
Origin
Records of the Grand Historian (《史记·越王勾践世家》). King Goujian of Yue, defeated by the king of Wu and forced into servitude, returned home and slept on firewood and tasted bitter gall daily to remind himself of the humiliation. After twenty years of preparation, he conquered Wu. The phrase has been the standard image for long-haul, self-disciplined revenge ever since.
Examples
Tā他wò卧xīn薪cháng尝dǎn胆shí十nián年，zhōng终yú于dǎ打bài败le了duì对shǒu手。
He endured ten years of self-discipline and finally defeated his rival.
Gōng公sī司zhè这jǐ几nián年wò卧xīn薪cháng尝dǎn胆，zhǔn准bèi备dōng东shān山zài再qǐ起。
The company spent these years in disciplined preparation — ready to rise again.
Usage & nuances
Dramatic register. Most often used about long comebacks (sports, business, geopolitics) after a major loss.
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