Looking for a chengyu

[Zamenhof]

Chinese has so many wonderful chengyu's so I wonder if one of them covers this old quote from the Cuban writer José Martí:

"It's better to die standing than to live on your knees."

(Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado).

It's probably hard to squeeze down to four characters, but the Chinese imagination usually sees no end.

Kind regards,

Peter

[skylee]

Consider 寧死不屈 -> http://www.baidu.com/baidu?ie=gb2312&ct=1048576&cl=3&word=%8C%8E%CB%C0%B2%BB%C7%FC.

[Zamenhof]

That's a perfect suggestion. Thanks!

Actually, looking your suggestion up in the dictionary, I found the full translation of the quote right over:

宁可站着死，绝不跪着生。

[rootfool]

宁可站着死，绝不跪着生

This is not a chengyu.It's just a traslation of "It's better to die standing than to live on your knees."

the similar chengyu of this in chinese is 宁死不屈；宁折不弯；宁为玉碎，不为瓦全。

[semantic nuance]

寧死不屈 is what comes to me when I read your post.

Hope it helps!

[HashiriKata]

宁可站着死，绝不跪着生。

宁可站着生，不愿站着死！

[zozzen]

寧死不屈 is good.

Another common translation is 寧為玉碎, 不作瓦存

"Better to be a broken jade rather than a perfect tile."

This idiom is very famous.

In a drama, when someone was insulted, it's common to say this too:

士可殺, 不可辱

"One (an government official or scholar) can be killed but can't be insulted".

[QinGe]

宁为玉碎，不为瓦全。

it means that one will die for a jade(a kind of treasure which in Chinese tradition implies Junoesque morality) while refuse to live with a tile(something apt to be destoryed and low in quality).

[zozzen]

Qinge,

寧為玉碎, 不作瓦全.

Here, 為 means "to be", but not a purpose or goal one is pursuing.

Reference:

http://140.111.34.46/cgi-bin/dict/GetContent.cgi?Database=dict&DocNum=47455&GraphicWord=yes&QueryString=%B9%E7%AC%B0%A5%C9%B8H