上刀山，下火海 in English shang4 dao1 shan1 , xia4 huo3 hai3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to climb mountains of swords and enter seas of flames (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to go through trials and tribulations (often, for a noble cause)

Simplified Characters

上 刀 山 ， 下 火 海

Traditional Characters

上 刀 山 ， 下 火 海

Pinyin

shang4 dao1 shan1 , xia4 huo3 hai3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

上shang4see 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] 刀dao1surname Dao 山shan1surname Shan ， 下xia4down 火huo3surname Huo 海hai3surname Hai