人必自侮而後人侮之

Chinese

		man; person; people	certainly; must; will certainly; must; will; necessarily	from; self; oneself from; self; oneself; since	insult	after that; then	man; person; people	insult	's; him/her/it; this
trad. (人必自侮而後人侮之)		人	必	自	侮	而後	人	侮	之
simp. (人必自侮而后人侮之)		人	必	自	侮	而后	人	侮	之
alternative forms		人必自侮然後人侮之／人必自侮然后人侮之

Etymology

From Mencius:

夫人必自侮，然後人侮之；家必自毀，而後人毀之；國必自伐，而後人伐之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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夫人必自侮，然后人侮之；家必自毁，而后人毁之；国必自伐，而后人伐之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

Fú rén bì zì wǔ, ránhòu rén wǔ zhī; jiā bì zì huǐ, érhòu rén huǐ zhī; guó bì zì fá, érhòu rén fá zhī. [Pinyin]

A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him. A family must first destroy itself, and then others will destroy it. A State must first smite itself, and then others will smite it.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rén bì zìwǔ érhòu rén wǔ zhī

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄗˋ ㄨˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄨˇ ㄓ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ bit¹ zi⁶ mou⁵ ji⁴ hau⁶ jan⁴ mou⁵ zi¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rén bì zìwǔ érhòu rén wǔ zhī
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄗˋ ㄨˇ ㄦˊ ㄏㄡˋ ㄖㄣˊ ㄨˇ ㄓ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rén bì zìhwǔ érhòu rén wǔ jhih
    • Wade–Giles: jên² pi⁴ tzŭ⁴-wu³ êrh²-hou⁴ jên² wu³ chih¹
    • Yale: rén bì dz̀-wǔ ér-hòu rén wǔ jr̄
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ren bih tzyhwuu erlhow ren wuu jy
    • Palladius: жэнь би цзыу эрхоу жэнь у чжи (žɛnʹ bi czyu erxou žɛnʹ u čži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀɤɻ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ bit¹ zi⁶ mou⁵ ji⁴ hau⁶ jan⁴ mou⁵ zi¹
    • Yale: yàhn bīt jih móuh yìh hauh yàhn móuh jī
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ bit⁷ dzi⁶ mou⁵ ji⁴ hau⁶ jan⁴ mou⁵ dzi¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ bid¹ ji⁶ mou⁵ yi⁴ heo⁶ yen⁴ mou⁵ ji¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ piːt̚⁵ t͡siː²² mou̯¹³ jiː²¹ hɐu̯²² jɐn²¹ mou̯¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵/

Proverb

人必自侮而後人侮之

1. One is humiliated by others always because one has brought humiliation upon oneself first.

See also

• 人必自重而後人重之／人必自重而后人重之 (rén bì zìzhòng érhòu rén zhòng zhī)