弦而鼓之 in English xian2 er2 gu3 zhi1 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to tune one's zither then play it; metaphorically to live by the consequences of one's actions
  • to make one's bed then lie on it

Simplified Characters

弦 而 鼓 之

Traditional Characters

弦 而 鼓 之

Pinyin

xian2 er2 gu3 zhi1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

弦xian2bow string 而er2and 鼓gu3old variant of 鼓[gu3] 之zhi1(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5])