自强不息
zì qiáng bù xī
to strive tirelessly to improve
Character by character
自zì
self
self
强qiáng
strengthen
strengthen
不bù
not
not
息xī
rest
rest
Example
她身患残疾,却自强不息,成了一名律师。
Despite her disability, she never stopped striving and became a lawyer.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From the 《周易》 line 天行健,君子以自强不息, and part of Tsinghua University’s motto.
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