諺語 · a single proverb
百尺竿頭，更進一步
Simplified: 百尺竿头，更进一步
What does 百尺竿頭，更進一步 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìn yī bù) mean?
百尺竿頭，更進一步 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìn yī bù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "at the top of a hundred-foot pole, still advance one more step." In use it means: Even at the peak of achievement, strive one step further; keep improving. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "at the top of a hundred-foot pole, still advance one more step."
The reading
The top of the pole is not the end but a platform for the next gesture, and the one who thinks reaching it means stopping has confused arrival with completion. The invitation at every summit is the same: one more step. This is not ambition's restlessness but growth's natural appetite for what comes after the view.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song Dynasty 宋·釋道原《景德傳燈錄》 (Jǐng Dé Chuán Dēng Lù, Buddhist text)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 百尺竿頭，更進一步 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 百尺竿頭，更進一步 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìn yī bù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Song Dynasty 宋·釋道原《景德傳燈錄》 (Jǐng Dé Chuán Dēng Lù, Buddhist text). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 百尺竿頭，更進一步?
In Mandarin it is bǎi chǐ gān tóu gèng jìn yī bù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 百尺竿頭，更進一步 aloud in Mandarin.