涅而不緇
niè'ér​bù​zī

rise above a bad environment

  • created reference approved 涅而不缁/涅而不緇 → 磨而不磷 (synonym) — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    涅而不缁 / 涅而不緇 niè'ér​bù​zī

    磨而不磷 mó'ér​bù​lín

    synonym

    Changed: source (simp), source (trad), source pinyin, target (simp), target (trad), target pinyin, type

    created reference

  • created sense approved 涅而不缁/涅而不緇 · niè'ér​bù​zī · rise above a bad environment — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    涅而不缁 / 涅而不緇

    niè'ér​bù​zī

    rise above a bad environment

    Literally meaning that something truly white will not be turned black even by dye; describes a person of integrity who remains untarnished despite being in a corrupt or bad environment

    涅 (literal) → 涅 · niè · to dye black 而 (literal) → 而 · ér · but 不 (literal) → 不 · bù · not 缁 (literal) → 缁/緇 · zī · black

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense