諺語 · a single proverb
泰山不讓土壤
Simplified: 泰山不让土壤
What does 泰山不讓土壤 (tài shān bù ràng tǔ rǎng) mean?
泰山不讓土壤 (tài shān bù ràng tǔ rǎng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "Mount Tai does not refuse even a grain of soil." In use it means: True greatness accepts and incorporates everything, even the smallest contribution; be inclusive. 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: "Mount Tai does not refuse even a grain of soil."
The reading
Mount Tai is not too proud for a single grain of sand, and this is precisely why it has become what it is. Greatness is not about the dramatic exclusion of the small but the patient acceptance of every contribution, knowing that the mountain is the sum of the ordinary and the extraordinary held together without distinction.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Li Si 李斯·《諫逐客書》 (Jiàn Zhú Kè Shū, Remonstrance Against Expelling Guests, Qin Dynasty)
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 泰山不讓土壤 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 泰山不讓土壤 (tài shān bù ràng tǔ rǎng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Li Si 李斯·《諫逐客書》 (Jiàn Zhú Kè Shū, Remonstrance Against Expelling Guests, Qin 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 泰山不讓土壤?
In Mandarin it is tài shān bù ràng tǔ rǎng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 泰山不讓土壤 aloud in Mandarin.