‘Tenacious like bamboo’ — Phrase of the Week

Our Phrase of the Week is: Tenacious like bamboo rooted in the rocks of the mountain (咬定青山不放松 yǎodìng qīngshān bú fàngsōng).

The context

As he settles into his third term, Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 used a new 24-character phrase last week to explain China’s strategy during the recently concluded Two Sessions political meeting:

In the face of profound and complex changes in the international and domestic environment, we must keep calm, stay focused, strive for progress while maintaining stability, be proactive, unite as one [under the Party], and have the courage to fight.

面对国际国内环境发生的深刻复杂变化，必须做到沉着冷静、保持定力，稳中求进、积极作为，团结一致、敢于斗争。

Miànduì guójì guónèi huánjìng fāshēng de shēnkè fùzá biànhuà, bìxū zuòdào chénzhuó lěngjìng, bǎochí dìnglì, wěnzhōng qiújìn, jījí zuòwéi, tuánjié yízhì, gǎnyú dòuzhēng.

It’s made up of six four-character idiom-like phrases, most of which he has used before. Strive for progress while maintaining stability (稳中求进 wěnzhōng qiújìn), unite as one (团结一致 tuánjié yízhì), and have the courage to fight (敢于斗争 gǎnyú dòuzhēng) are all old favorites in his speeches and writings, and have appeared regularly in Party communications for decades.

The main departure from earlier communications is the phrase be proactive (积极作为 jījí zuòwéi). Earlier versions of the phrase were less energetic: For instance, 有所作为 (yǒusuǒ zuòwéi), which translates as make a difference or do something, conveys more of a reaction to what’s going on rather than taking a proactive approach.

Further into the speech, Xi used a phrase that captures the essence of what he’s trying to say:

Only by optimizing and adjusting strategies, maintaining strategic determination, being tenacious like bamboo rooted in the rocks of the mountain, and not being afraid of risks can we achieve a clear direction, a clear mind, a good response, and strong actions.

优化调整战略策略，又保持战略定力，咬定青山不放松，不为各种风险所惧，才能始终做到方向明确、头脑清醒、应对有方、行动有力。

Yōuhuà tiáozhěng zhànlüè cèlüè, yòu bǎochí zhànlüè dìnglì, yǎodìng qīngshān bú fàngsōng, búwèi gè zhǒng fēngxiǎn suǒjù, cáinéng shǐzhōng zuòdào fāngxiàng míngquè, tóunǎo qīngxǐng, yìngduì yǒufāng, xíngdòng yǒulì.

And with that, we have our Phrase of the Week.

What it means

Tenacious like bamboo rooted in the rocks of the mountain (咬定青山不放松 yǎodìng qīngshān bú fàngsōng) is a phrase from a well-known poem from the Qing dynasty. It’s a line from “Bamboos in a Stone” (竹石 zhú shí) by Qing-dynasty calligrapher and poet Zhèng Xiè 郑燮, who is apparently a favorite of Xi’s.

Born in 1693, Zheng began life in poverty, rising through the imperial exam system to become a magistrate in what is now Shandong. But he became critical of officialdom, and refused to ingratiate himself into the system. He eventually resigned so he could express himself through art, becoming one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou (扬州八怪 yángzhōu bāguài). When his drawings of orchids, bamboo, and stones attracted the attention of the Qianlong Emperor (乾隆帝 Qiánlóng Dì), he briefly resumed an official career as the palace calligrapher and painter in 1748.

“Bamboo in a Stone” is Zheng’s best-known poem. It’s a “poem dedicated to a painting” (题画诗 tíhuà shī), a combination of words, imagery, and calligraphy. The four lines of the poem are:

Cling to the green mountain, never give up,
The bamboos take their roots in the cracks of the rocks.
Though they go suffering, they are still strong,
Hold unyielding, no matter where the winds blow from.

咬定青山不放松，立根原在破岩中。
千磨万击还坚劲，任尔东西南北风。

Yǎodìng qīngshān bú fàngsōng,
Lìgēn yuánzài pòyán zhōng.
Qiānmó wànjī hái jiānjìn,
Rèněr dōngxī nánběi fēng.

The bamboo is a metaphor for being tough and holding on to your position no matter what the world throws at you, while also being proactive and gaining ground where possible.

Xi’s new 24-character phrase means the same thing.