諺語 · a single proverb
大智若愚
What does 大智若愚 (dà zhì ruò yú) mean?
大智若愚 (dà zhì ruò yú) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "great wisdom seems like foolishness." In use it means: The deepest intelligence looks unremarkable from outside; the truly wise feel no need to appear clever, so their brilliance reads as plainness. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "great wisdom seems like foolishness."
The reading
The sharpest person in the room is often the quietest, letting others mistake restraint for slowness. You don't have to win every exchange to be right; there is a kind of power that only works by looking like it isn't trying.
The story
The four-character phrase is attributed to Su Shi, in a congratulatory letter to his mentor Ouyang Xiu on the latter's retirement, praising a wisdom so deep it wears the look of plainness. It gives a name to something older writers had noticed: the truly wise feel no need to appear clever, so their brilliance reads from outside as ordinariness.
You do not have to win every exchange to be right. Let restraint be mistaken for slowness now and then, and keep the sharpest thing you know quietly in reserve, because there is a power that only works by not looking like it is trying.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Su Shi 蘇軾, letter to Ouyang Xiu 賀歐陽少師致仕啟 (Song dynasty)
Sits beside
謙謙君子
qiān qiān jūn zǐ
One who adds humility to humility, a person of standing who stays modest, moves through the world with grace and meets good fortune.
虛懷若谷
xū huái ruò gǔ
True humility keeps the mind hollow like a valley, open enough to receive every stream, every view, without needing to be right.
寧靜致遠
níng jìng zhì yuǎn
Only a calm, undistracted mind accomplishes far-reaching aims.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Pig, and Year of the Snake.
Questions
Is 大智若愚 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 大智若愚 (dà zhì ruò yú) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Su Shi 蘇軾, letter to Ouyang Xiu 賀歐陽少師致仕啟 (Song dynasty). 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 大智若愚?
In Mandarin it is dà zhì ruò yú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 大智若愚 aloud in Mandarin.