老驥伏櫪

Chinese

		old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	thoroughbred horse; refined and virtuous	conceal (ambush); prostrate; submit	stable
trad. (老驥伏櫪)		老	驥	伏	櫪
simp. (老骥伏枥)		老	骥	伏	枥
Literally: “an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 miles”.

Etymology

From a poem by Cao Cao:

老驥伏櫪，志在千里；烈士暮年，壯心不已。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

老骥伏枥，志在千里；烈士暮年，壮心不已。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 三國·魏·曹操《步出夏門行》

Lǎojì fúlì, zhì zài qiānlǐ; lièshì mùnián, zhuàngxīn bùyǐ. [Pinyin]

The old steed over the manger still has the mind to do a thousand-li journey;
The heroic old man still cherishes lofty ambitions.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lǎojìfúlì

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄐㄧˋ ㄈㄨˊ ㄌㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lou⁵ kei³ fuk⁶ lik¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lǎojìfúlì
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄐㄧˋ ㄈㄨˊ ㄌㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lǎojìfúlì
    • Wade–Giles: lao³-chi⁴-fu²-li⁴
    • Yale: lǎu-jì-fú-lì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laojihfwulih
    • Palladius: лаоцзифули (laoczifuli)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi⁵¹ fu³⁵ li⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lou⁵ kei³ fuk⁶ lik¹
    • Yale: lóuh kei fuhk līk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ kei³ fuk⁹ lik⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ kéi³ fug⁶ lig¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ kʰei̯³³ fʊk̚² lɪk̚⁵/

Idiom

老驥伏櫪

1. (figurative) an aged person with great aspirations