青出於藍,而青於藍

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Chinese

green (blue, black); Qinghai province (abbrev.)
to go out; to come out; to occur
to go out; to come out; to occur; to produce; to go beyond; to rise; to put forth; to happen; (a measure word for dramas, plays, or operas)
 
in; at; to
in; at; to; from; by; than; out of; surname
 
blue; indigo plant; surname
and; as well as; but (not)
and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)
 
green (blue, black); Qinghai province (abbrev.)
in; at; to
in; at; to; from; by; than; out of; surname
 
blue; indigo plant; surname
trad. (青出於藍,而青於藍)
simp. (青出于蓝,而青于蓝)
Literally: “the color blue is made out of indigo, but is more vivid than indigo”.

Etymology

From Xunzi:

君子不可 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
君子不可 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Xunzi, c. 3rd century BCE
Jūnzǐ yuē: xué bùkě yǐ yǐ. Qīng, qǔ zhī yú lán, ér qīng yú lán; bīng, shuǐ wèi zhī, ér hán yú shuǐ.
The gentleman said: Learning must never cease. Blue is obtained from the indigo plant but is bluer than the plant itself; ice is made from water but is colder than water itself.

Pronunciation


Proverb

青出於藍,而青於藍

  1. the student has surpassed his or her teacher

Synonyms

Descendants

  • Japanese: 青は藍より出でて藍より青し (ao wa ai yori idete ai yori aoshi) (calque)