בְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֨יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם עַ֤ד שֽׁוּבְךָ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה לֻקָּ֑חְתָּ כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב׃
你必汗流滿面才得餬口，直到你歸回地土，因為你是從地裡出來的；你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土。
你必汗流满面才得糊口，直到你归回地土，因为你是从地里出来的；你本是尘土，仍要归于尘土。
Nǐ bì hàn liú mǎn miàn cái dé hú kǒu, zhídào nǐ guī huí dì tǔ, yīnwèi nǐ shì cóng dì lǐ chū lái de; nǐ běn shì chén tǔ, réng yào guī yú chén tǔ.
By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.
1. Vocabulary Breakdown
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Grammar Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 必 | bì | Must | Adverb |
| 汗流滿面 / 汗流满面 | hàn liú mǎn miàn | Sweat pouring down your face | Verb phrase |
| 才 | cái | Only then | Adverb |
| 得 | dé | Obtain | Verb |
| 餬口 / 糊口 | hú kǒu | Earn a living | Verb phrase |
| 直到 | zhídào | Until | Conjunction |
| 歸回 / 归回 | guī huí | Return | Verb |
| 地土 | dì tǔ | Ground, earth | Noun |
| 因為 / 因为 | yīn wèi | Because | Conjunction |
| 從 / 从 | cóng | From | Preposition |
| 塵土 / 尘土 | chén tǔ | Dust | Noun |
| 仍 | réng | Still | Adverb |
2. Grammar Explanation
Sentence Structure:
- 你必汗流滿面才得餬口 (Nǐ bì hàn liú mǎn miàn cái dé hú kǒu): Describes the necessity of hard labor to sustain life.
- 直到你歸回地土 (Zhídào nǐ guī huí dì tǔ): Indicates the condition lasting until death and return to the earth.
- 因為你是從地裡出來的 (Yīnwèi nǐ shì cóng dì lǐ chū lái de): Explains the origin of humanity from the earth.
- 你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土 (Nǐ běn shì chén tǔ, réng yào guī yú chén tǔ): Emphasizes the inevitability of returning to dust after death.
Key Grammar Points:
- 必 (bì): Indicates necessity or obligation, meaning “must.”
- 餬口 / 糊口 (hú kǒu): A verb phrase meaning “to earn a living,” often implying difficulty.
- 塵土 / 尘土 (chén tǔ): A metaphor for mortality and the transient nature of life.
3. Pronunciation Practice
Pinyin: Nǐ bì hàn liú mǎn miàn cái dé hú kǒu, zhídào nǐ guī huí dì tǔ, yīnwèi nǐ shì cóng dì lǐ chū lái de; nǐ běn shì chén tǔ, réng yào guī yú chén tǔ.
Tone Practice:
- 你必 (Nǐ bì): 3rd tone (falling-rising) + 4th tone (falling)
- 汗流滿面 / 汗流满面 (hàn liú mǎn miàn): 4th tone (falling) + 2nd tone (rising) + 3rd tone (falling-rising) + 4th tone (falling)
- 才得 (cái dé): 2nd tone (rising) + 2nd tone (rising)
- 餬口 / 糊口 (hú kǒu): 2nd tone (rising) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 直到 (zhídào): 2nd tone (rising) + 4th tone (falling)
- 地土 (dì tǔ): 4th tone (falling) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 塵土 / 尘土 (chén tǔ): 2nd tone (rising) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 仍要 (réng yào): 2nd tone (rising) + 4th tone (falling)
4. Character Learning
Key Characters:
- 汗流滿面 / 汗流满面 (hàn liú mǎn miàn): A vivid phrase meaning “sweat pouring down the face,” symbolizing hard labor.
- 餬口 / 糊口 (hú kǒu): An expression for “earning a living,” often used in contexts of survival through effort.
- 塵土 / 尘土 (chén tǔ): Refers to “dust,” emphasizing mortality and the transient nature of life.
- 歸回 / 归回 (guī huí): Means “to return,” often with a poetic or spiritual connotation.
5. Cultural Insights
- Sweat and Labor: In both Hebrew and Chinese traditions, hard work is often associated with the virtue of perseverance and the reality of human existence.
- Dust and Mortality: The metaphor of returning to dust reflects a universal understanding of life’s fragility, present in Chinese poetry and philosophy.
- Returning to the Ground: The cyclical nature of life and death aligns with Taoist beliefs in the balance and interconnectedness of all things.
6. Mnemonics for Retention
- 汗流滿面 / 汗流满面 (hàn liú mǎn miàn): Imagine a farmer wiping sweat from their face during labor to associate this phrase with toil.
- 餬口 / 糊口 (hú kǒu): Picture someone cooking simple food to represent survival through effort.
- 塵土 / 尘土 (chén tǔ): Visualize a handful of dust slipping through fingers to signify life’s impermanence.
7. Comparative Studies
- Comparison with Hebrew:
- בְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֨יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם (BeZe’at Appeikha Tochal Lechem): → 你必汗流滿面才得餬口 (Nǐ bì hàn liú mǎn miàn cái dé hú kǒu): Both describe hard labor as the means of obtaining sustenance.
- עַ֤ד שֽׁוּבְךָ֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה (Ad Shuvkha El HaAdamah): → 直到你歸回地土 (Zhídào nǐ guī huí dì tǔ): Both indicate the inevitability of returning to the ground.
- כִּֽי־עָפָ֣ר אַ֔תָּה וְאֶל־עָפָ֖ר תָּשֽׁוּב (Ki-Afar Atah VeEl-Afar Tashuv): → 你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土 (Nǐ běn shì chén tǔ, réng yào guī yú chén tǔ): Both emphasize the human origin from dust and return to it.
- Comparison with English:
- “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” corresponds to 你必汗流滿面才得餬口 (Nǐ bì hàn liú mǎn miàn cái dé hú kǒu): Both highlight labor as a requirement for sustenance.
- “Until you return to the ground” matches 直到你歸回地土 (Zhídào nǐ guī huí dì tǔ): Both indicate life’s endpoint.
- “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” parallels 你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土 (Nǐ běn shì chén tǔ, réng yào guī yú chén tǔ): Both express the transient nature of human life.
- Comparison with Chinese Cultural Concepts:
- Labor as Virtue: The necessity of toil reflects Confucian values associating hard work with character development.
- Cycle of Life: The return to dust aligns with Taoist concepts of life’s cyclical nature and interconnectedness with nature.
