宁为玉碎，不为瓦全 in English ning4 wei2 yu4 sui4 , bu4 wei2 wa3 quan2 Meaning

Meanings

  • Better broken jade than intact tile.
  • Death is preferable to dishonor. (idiomatic expression)

Simplified Characters

宁 为 玉 碎 ， 不 为 瓦 全

Traditional Characters

寧 為 玉 碎 ， 不 為 瓦 全

Pinyin

ning4 wei2 yu4 sui4 , bu4 wei2 wa3 quan2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

宁ning2to store 为wei4as (in the capacity of) 玉yu4jade 碎sui4to break down ， 不bu4(negative prefix) 为wei4as (in the capacity of) 瓦wa3roof tile 全quan2surname Quan