殷 忧 启 圣

yīn yōu qǐ shèngdictionary entry

deep suffering can lead to enlightenment (idiom) / storms make oaks take deeper root

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-cfe51f2578aa8870. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

殷憂啟聖 殷忧启圣 [yin1 you1 qi3 sheng4] /deep suffering can lead to enlightenment (idiom)/storms make oaks take deeper root/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 殷憂啟聖

殷
yān
dark red
yīn
flourishing / abundant / earnest / hospitable
yǐn
roll of thunder
Yīn
surname Yin / dynasty name at the end the Shang dynasty, after its move to Yinxu 殷墟[Yīn xū] in present-day Henan
忧
yōu
to worry / to concern oneself with / worried / anxiety / sorrow / (literary) to observe mourning
启
qǐ
to open / to start / to initiate / to enlighten or awaken / to state / to inform
Qǐ
Qi son of Yu the Great 禹[Yǔ], reported founder of the Xia Dynasty 夏朝[Xià Cháo] (c. 2070-c. 1600 BC)
圣
kū
(literary) to dig with persistent effort (e.g. to gather wild vegetables)
shèng
(bound form) peerless (in wisdom, moral virtue, skill etc) / (bound form) peerless individual / paragon (sage, saint, emperor, master of a skill etc) / (bound form) holy / sacred

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.