他山之石,可以攻玉
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Chinese[edit]
he; him; other | mountain; hill | 's; him/her/it; this | rock; stone; 10 pecks | to attack; to accuse; to study | jade | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (他山之石,可以攻玉) | 他 | 山 | 之 | 石 | , | 可以 | 攻 | 玉 | |
simp. #(他山之石,可以攻玉) | 他 | 山 | 之 | 石 | , | 可以 | 攻 | 玉 | |
Literally: “Stones from another hill can be used to polish my jade”. |
Etymology[edit]
From the Classic of Poetry, poem 184 (《詩經·小雅·鶴鳴》):
- 樂彼之園,爰有樹檀,其下維穀。
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Lè bǐ zhī yuán, yuán yǒu shù tán, qí xià wéi gǔ.
Tā shān zhī shí, kěyǐ gōng yù. [Pinyin] - Pleasant is that garden, In which are the sandal trees;
But beneath them is the paper-mulberry tree,
The stones of those hills, May be used to polish gems.
他山之石,可以攻玉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
乐彼之园,爰有树檀,其下维谷。
他山之石,可以攻玉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation[edit]
Proverb[edit]
他山之石,可以攻玉
- (figurative) advice from others may help remedy one's own shortcomings