一暴十寒 (Idiom)

 

一暴十寒  (yi2 pu4 sh2 han2)

一暴十寒 (Simplified)

Denotation:

一: one

暴: expose

十: ten

寒: freeze

To expose the crops to the sun for one day, then leave it frozen for another ten.

Connotation: To describe people who work on and off without persistence and perseverance.

Example: 他上中文課常常藉故請假，一點恆心也沒有，真是「一暴十寒」啊 !

He always skips his Chinese class with various excuses. His lack of perseverance is just like exposing the crops to the sun for one day, then leaving it frozen for another ten.

Synonym: 三天打魚，兩天曬網 (san tian da3 u3, liang2 tian shai4 wang3) (To fish for three days, then bask the nest in the sun for another two.)

Antonym: 努力不懈 (nu2 li bu2 xie4) 、持之以恆 (ch2 zh yi3 heng2)

Allusion:

Meng4-Z2 (孟子) was one of the most well-known philosophers and debaters of the Chinese Warring States Period戰國時代. (475-221 BC) One day when he was trying to dissuade Qi2-Wang2,(齊王)King of the Qi kingdom, from listening to those slanderous and false remarks, he gave him a metaphor:

“How do you expect a crop to survive, however strong it is, if you expose it to the sun for only one day, then leave it frozen without the sun for another ten? You’re around me for such a short span of time that your resolution to do goods is easily smashed by the false remarks surrounding you.”

The metaphor was followed by another example given by Meng-Z:

“Yi4-Qiu (羿秋), a master of chess, had two disciples. One of them focused all his attention on the learning while the other was always distracted by the thought of shooting the flying birds. Their craftsmanship ended up so diversely though taught by the same master.”

*Note: The word 暴 is also pronounced as bao4, as in 暴力 (bao4 li4), violence.