再接再厉
zài jiē zài lì
to keep up the good work
Character by character
再zài
again
again
接jiē
engage
engage
再zài
again
again
厉lì
sharpen
sharpen
Example
希望你再接再厉，取得更好的成绩。
I hope you'll keep up the good work and do even better.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Write 厉 (sharpen), not 励; it began in a Han Yu and Meng Jiao poem with roosters whetting their beaks between bouts.
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