Definition
To succeed or improve one's situation through one's own efforts and resources, without external assistance.
依靠自身努力獲得成功，不依賴他人幫助。
She had no family background and pulled herself up by her bootstraps to build her own business.
她沒有家庭背景，全靠自己的力量建立了自己的事業。
Despite his difficult childhood, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps to earn a college degree.
儘管童年艱難，他還是依靠自己的努力獲得了大學學位。
This company started as a small start-up and pulled itself up by its bootstraps, growing into an international corporation through the efforts of its employees.
這家公司從一個小新創公司開始，依靠員工的努力發展成為一家國際企業。