故天将降大任于是人也,必先苦其心志,劳其筋骨,饿其体肤,空乏其身,行拂乱其所为,所以动心忍性,曾益其所不能。

When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on a person, it must first distress their mind, exhaust their muscles and bones, starve their body, and deprive them of resources, making their actions go against their will. This is done to stimulate their heart and temper their character, thereby increasing what they are capable of.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

1
  1. happening
  2. instance
  3. reason
  4. cause
  5. intentional
  6. former
  7. old
  8. friend
  9. therefore
  10. hence
  11. (of people) to die, dead
2 tiān
  1. day
  2. sky
  3. heaven
=3 jiāng
  1. will
  2. shall
  3. to use
  4. to take
  5. to checkmate
  6. just a short while ago
  7. (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as )
=3 jiàng
  1. (bound form) a general
  2. (literary) to command; to lead
  3. (Chinese chess) general (on the black side, equivalent to a king in Western chess)
=3 qiāng
  1. to desire
  2. to invite
  3. to request
=4 jiàng
  1. to drop
  2. to fall
  3. to come down
  4. to descend
=4 xiáng
  1. to surrender; to capitulate
  2. to subdue; to conquer; to tame
=5
  1. big; large; great
  2. older (than another person)
  3. eldest (as in 大姐 jiě)
  4. greatly; freely; fully
  5. (dialect) father
  6. (dialect) uncle (father's brother)
=5 dài see 大夫 dàifu
=6 Rén surname Ren
=6 rèn
  1. to assign
  2. to appoint
  3. to take up a post
  4. office
  5. responsibility
  6. to let
  7. to allow
  8. to give free rein to
  9. no matter (how, what etc)
  10. classifier for terms served in office, or for spouses, girlfriends etc (as in 前任男友)
=6 rén
  1. (historical) an ancient music of the southern indigenous people
  2. (historical) an ancient woman's rank of nobility
  3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of (rén, “artful; fawning”)
  4. a surname
  5. alternative form of (rén, “artful; fawning”)
  6. an ancient music of the southern indigenous people
  7. an ancient woman's rank of nobility
7 于是 shì thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence
8 rén person; people

classifiers: ,

=9 surname Ye
=9
  1. also; too; as well; (not ...) either
  2. (used after a verbal or nominal expression X to indicate that X is an extreme or unexpected case) even (X)
  3. (literary) particle having functions similar to a
10
  1. certainly
  2. must
  3. will
  4. necessarily
=11 xiān
  1. beforehand; first; earlier
  2. at first; originally
  3. for the time being; for now
  4. (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
=11 xiǎn only used in 先馬先马
12
  1. bitter
  2. hardship
  3. pain
  4. to suffer
  5. to bring suffering to
  6. painstakingly
=13
  1. his
  2. her
  3. its
  4. their
  5. that
  6. such
  7. it (refers to sth preceding it)
=13
  1. (obsolete) Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  2. (obsolete) Used in personal names.
  3. Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  4. Used in personal names.
=13
  1. (archaic) only used in 彼其
  2. only used in 彼其
14 心志 xīnzhì
  1. will
  2. resolution
  3. aspiration
15 láo
  1. (bound form) to toil; labor
  2. (bound form) laborer
  3. (bound form) meritorious deed
  4. (bound form) fatigue
  5. to put sb to the trouble (of doing sth)
  6. to express one's appreciation (Taiwan pr. lào)
=16
  1. his
  2. her
  3. its
  4. their
  5. that
  6. such
  7. it (refers to sth preceding it)
=16
  1. (obsolete) Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  2. (obsolete) Used in personal names.
  3. Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  4. Used in personal names.
=16
  1. (archaic) only used in 彼其
  2. only used in 彼其
17 筋骨 jīn
  1. muscles and bones
  2. physique
  3. strength
  4. courage
18 饿 è
  1. hungry
  2. to starve (sb)
=19
  1. his
  2. her
  3. its
  4. their
  5. that
  6. such
  7. it (refers to sth preceding it)
=19
  1. (obsolete) Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  2. (obsolete) Used in personal names.
  3. Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  4. Used in personal names.
=19
  1. (archaic) only used in 彼其
  2. only used in 彼其
20 体肤
  1. skin
  2. flesh
  3. body
=21 空乏 kōng
  1. (literary) empty and dull
  2. empty and dull
=21 空乏 kòng
  1. (literary) impoverished; destitute; poverty-stricken
  2. impoverished; destitute; poverty-stricken
=22
  1. his
  2. her
  3. its
  4. their
  5. that
  6. such
  7. it (refers to sth preceding it)
=22
  1. (obsolete) Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  2. (obsolete) Used in personal names.
  3. Used at the end of a sentence to show doubt.
  4. Used in personal names.
=22
  1. (archaic) only used in 彼其
  2. only used in 彼其
23 shēn
  1. body
  2. life
  3. oneself
  4. personally
  5. one's morality and conduct
  6. the main part of a structure or body
  7. pregnant
  8. classifier for sets of clothes: suit, twinset
  9. Kangxi radical 158
=24 háng
  1. (bound form) row; line
  2. (bound form) line of business; trade; profession
  3. (bound form) commercial firm
  4. (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age)
  5. (in data tables) row; (Tw) column
  6. classifier for rows or lines
=24 héng used in 道行 dàohéng
=24 xíng
  1. (bound form) to walk; to go; to travel
  2. (literary) trip; journey; visit
  3. (bound form) temporary; makeshift
  4. (bound form) current; in circulation
  5. (bound form) to do; to perform
  6. capable; competent
  7. all right; OK!; will do
  8. behavior; conduct (Taiwan pr. xìng)
  9. (literary) about to; soon
=24 hàng
  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 行行 (“bold; staunch; strong”)
  2. order; rank
  3. used in 樹行子树行子 (“row of trees”)
  4. used in 行行 (“bold; staunch; strong”)
=25 old variant of
=25
  1. to flick
  2. to brush off
  3. (of a breeze) to brush lightly over
  4. (literary) to run counter to
26 luàn
  1. in confusion or disorder
  2. in a confused state of mind
  3. disorder
  4. upheaval
  5. riot
  6. illicit sexual relations
  7. to throw into disorder
  8. to mix up
  9. indiscriminate
  10. random
  11. arbitrary
27 其所 suǒ
  1. its place
  2. one's appointed place
  3. the place for that
=28 wéi
  1. as (in the capacity of)
  2. to take sth as
  3. to act as
  4. to serve as
  5. to behave as
  6. to become
  7. to be
  8. to do
  9. by (in the passive voice)
=28 wèi
  1. because of
  2. for
  3. to
=28 wéi variant of wéi
=28 wèi variant of wèi
29 所以 suǒ
  1. therefore
  2. as a result
  3. so
  4. the reason why
30 动心 dòngxīn
  1. to be moved
  2. to be tempted
31 rěn
  1. to bear
  2. to endure
  3. to tolerate
  4. to restrain oneself
32 xìng
  1. nature
  2. character
  3. property
  4. quality
  5. attribute
  6. sexuality
  7. sex
  8. gender
  9. suffix forming adjective from verb
  10. suffix forming noun from adjective, corresponding to -ness or -ity
  11. essence

classifier:

=33 Zēng surname Zeng
=33 céng
  1. once
  2. already
  3. ever (in the past)
  4. former
  5. previously
  6. (past tense marker used before verb or clause)
=33 zēng great- (grandfather, grandchild etc)
=34 surname Yi
=34
  1. benefit
  2. profit
  3. advantage
  4. beneficial
  5. to increase
  6. to add
  7. all the more
35 其所 suǒ
  1. its place
  2. one's appointed place
  3. the place for that
36 不能 néng
  1. cannot
  2. must not
  3. should not