16 Chinese Proverbs on Teaching and Learning

Phil Collins said, “in learning, you will teach, and in teaching, you will learn.” Indeed, teaching and learning many times are tied together: a good teacher is always a keen learner, and a good learner learns better when teaching to others. How do Chinese people view teaching and learning? Here are 16 Chinese proverbs on teaching and learning you may find inspirational.

Chinese Proverbs on Teaching

1. 十年树木，百年树人
Shí nián shùmù, bǎinián shù rén
It takes ten years for a tree to grow, but it takes a hundred years for talents to be nurtured

2. 玉不琢，不成器
Yù bù zuó, bùchéngqì
Jade requires polishing to turn into a gem

3. 授人以鱼，只解一时之急；授人以渔，则解一生所需
Shòu rén yǐ yú, zhǐ jiè yīshí zhī jí; shòu rén yǐ yú, zé jiè yīshēng suǒ xū
Give a fish and be fed for only a day. Teach how to fish and be free from hunger for the whole life

4. 子不教，父之过
Zi bù jiào, fǔ zhīguò
Parents are responsible for their children’s education

5. 青出于蓝而胜于蓝
Qīngchūyúlán ér shèng yú lán
Indigo blue is extracted from the indigo plant but is bluer than the plant it comes from.
Good schooling produces excellence beyond the masters: students surpass their teachers

6. 严师出高徒
Yánshī chū gāotú
Strict teachers have successful students

7. 三人行，必有我师
Sān rénxíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī
In a group of three people, there will always be one person I can learn from.

8. 师傅领进门，修行在个人
Shīfù lǐng jìnmén, xiūxíng zài gèrén
The master teaches the trade, but the perfection of the apprentice’s skill depends on his own efforts.

Chinese Proverbs on Learning

1. 学无止境
Xué wú zhǐjìng
There is no limit in learning

2. 温故而知新
Wēngù ér zhī xīn
Studying the past helps to understand the present

3. 一分耕耘, 一分收获
Yī fēn gēngyún, yī fēn shōuhuò
No pain, no gain

4. 读万卷书不如行万里路
Dú wàn juǎn shū bùrú xíng wànlǐ lù
Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles

5. 闻而忘之； 见而记之；行而知之
Wén ér wàng zhī; jiàn ér jì zhī; xíng ér zhīzhī
I listen and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand

6. 学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆
Xué ér bù sī zé wǎng, sī ér bù xué zé dài
Learning without thinking means wasted work; thinking without learning is dangerous

7. 熟能生巧，勤能补拙
Shúnéngshēngqiǎo, qínnéngbǔzhuō
Practice makes perfect, diligence makes up one’s dullness

8. 学如逆水行舟，不进则退
Xué rú nìshuǐxíngzhōu, bù jìn zé tuì
Studying is like sailing against the current: a boat must forge ahead or it will be swept downstream.

 

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