| Change log entry 97350 | |
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| Processed by: | richwarm (2026-08-28 21:02:25 UTC) |
| Comment: |
<< review queue entry 89116 - submitted by 'encn' >> not idiom not word flattering entry in 现代汉语词典 【习语】振兴东北老工业基地已到了滚石上山、爬坡过坎的关键阶段 // 习语 here means Xi Jinping's words - 今天下班我们去看电影，你去不去？ - 不去了，我手头有个项目到了滚石上山的阶段，今晚我又要加班了。 (szdaily) this isn't real use but a made-up example --------------- Editor: I agree that it's not an idiom, and the evidence given in the original submission wasn't very good. The SZ Daily dialogue does appear to be a made-up example rather than actual usage, and the claimed 现代汉语词典 support seems to have been a misunderstanding of 习语. However, after looking into 滚石上山 more closely, I think there's enough evidence to retain it as a conventionalized figurative expression. It certainly predates Xi's use: an award-winning report from the early 1980s has “滚石上山吧！”李晔把歌德这句名言，作为十一万创业大军开拓前进的战斗口号 Interestingly, the same idea still circulates as a saying attributed to Goethe, comparing life to repeatedly pushing a stone uphill without being able to slacken or rest, although I haven't verified that the attribution to Goethe is genuine. Since Xi used 滚石上山、爬坡过坎 in 2015, the expression has become particularly common and is used quite productively in forms such as 滚石上山的劲头 / 勇气 / 韧劲 滚石上山不松劲 滚石上山再奋进 是一个滚石上山的过程 etc. It isn't confined to political discourse either -- a recent biotech headline reads 双抗ADC：中国Biotech滚石上山 The underlying metaphor also seems fairly well established -- progress is difficult and requires sustained effort, since if you let up the "rock" may roll back. I'll drop our reference to Sisyphus, though there does seem to be a tradition of explaining 滚石上山 by reference to the story of Sisyphus (often together with a similar saying attributed to Goethe). In actual figurative use, however, 滚石上山 doesn't normally have the implication of futility conveyed by English "Sisyphean" -- the emphasis is on maintaining the effort needed to make progress and avoid slipping backwards. So I think mentioning Sisyphus in the definition is more likely to mislead than help. |
| Diff: |
- 滾石上山 滚石上山 [gun3 shi2 shang4 shan1] /lit. to roll a boulder up a hill (like Sisyphus) (idiom)/fig. to engage in a highly challenging task with perseverance and determination/ # Editor: 滾石上山 滚石上山 [[gun3shi2-shang4shan1]] /(fig.) to press ahead with a difficult undertaking through sustained effort/ |