闻鸡起舞 wén jī qǐ wǔ - Arise at the rooster's crow and practice martial arts!
I feel like idioms with kungfu in them are way cooler then without. So I feel like it does this one a disservice when it is translated, "be diligent in your studies."
This idiom comes from the Jin Dynasty (246-420). The main character in the story is Zu Di. Zu Di was a good hearted man with foresight. He realized that he was irresponsible when he was a child. As a man he realized the knowledge he had was inadequate to serve his country well. So he went about to change this. Every day when the cock crowed he was up with his friend practicing martial arts. And yes I am picturing either Karate Kid on the beach or Rocky III when Apollo Creed is yelling at Rocky to get back the eye of the tiger!
However, since Chinese culture has placed such a high value on studying for such a long time this idiom is often connected to being diligent in your studies.
And while there is that connection, I do feel to understand this idiom more clearly we must understand the context. Zu Di was not only preparing his mind but also his body. So when you hear that alarm clock, don't think about birds and worms, but instead you should be thinking about Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. Now get up and go out become a good citizen of the world!
