积重难返

Pronunciation: jī zhòng nán fǎn Literal meaning: Accumulated weight hard to return

Origin & Usage

The idiom 积重难返 (jī zhòng nán fǎn) originates from the Spring and Autumn period, as documented in the historical text 《国语》 (Guóyǔ) by 左丘明 (Zuǒ Qiūmíng). It refers to a conversation involving 骊姬 (Lí Jī), who plotted against the princes of the Jin state. She expressed concern that the deeply ingrained habits and positions of the princes might be difficult to change. The idiom literally means 'accumulated weight hard to return,' where 积 (jī) means 'accumulate,' 重 (zhòng) means 'weight,' 难 (nán) means 'difficult,' and 返 (fǎn) means 'return.' In modern usage, it describes situations where long-standing habits or problems are hard to change or resolve, often requiring significant effort to overcome.

Examples

English: "Once bad habits are formed, they are hard to change."

Chinese: 一旦形成坏习惯，就很难改回来了。