竭尽全力

jié jìn quán lì

  • Meaning

    Literal

    -

    Usage

    To completely exhaust one's strength or efforts

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    李平竭尽全力跑向终点 | Lǐ píng jiéjìnquánlì pǎo xiàng zhōngdiǎn
    Li Ping ran towards the finish line as fast as he possibly could
    [Source]

    政府已经竭尽全力遏制通货膨胀 | Zhèngfǔ yǐjīng jiéjìnquánlì èzhì tōnghuò péngzhàng
    The government has already pulled out all the stops in its efforts to curb inflation
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    This is an HSK chengyu

  • Origin

    《三国志》(Sān Guó Zhì) by 陈寿 (Chén Shòu). The historical text covers the events of the end of the Eastern Hàn Dynasty (东汉, Dōng Hàn, 25 - 220) and the Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280)

  • Story

    At the end of the Eastern Hàn Dynasty (东汉 | 25 - 220) lived a man named 杨沛 (Yáng Pèi). 杨沛 was the head of the county of 新郑 (Xīn Zhèng) when the infamous warlord 曹操 (Cáo Cāo) and his hungry troops passed through, and he received 曹操's favor by supplying food. When the warlord gained more political power, he repaid 杨沛 by promoting him.

    杨沛 was an honest and law-abiding man, and he was not afraid to stand up to people with powerful weapons or connections. This later ensured that 曹操 promoted him again, this time to the position of mayor of the national capital. When news of the 杨沛's promotion broke, criminals and law-abusers urged themselves and their comrades to show restraint and rein in evil behavior.

    This chengyu comes from a conversation that 曹操 and 杨沛 had before 杨沛 started his new position. 杨沛 promised 曹操 that he would do as much as he possibly could (竭尽全力) to execute the law.

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]
    • 汉语大词典[x]
    • 故事无忧[x]