諺語 · a single proverb
知恥近乎勇
What does 知恥近乎勇 (zhī chǐ jìn hū yǒng) mean?
知恥近乎勇 (zhī chǐ jìn hū yǒng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "knowing shame is near to courage." In use it means: The capacity to feel shame is close to courage; awareness of one's failures is the first step to overcoming them. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "knowing shame is near to courage."
The reading
The one who cannot feel shame also cannot improve, having removed the mechanism that registers the gap between what they are and what they could be. To feel shame clearly, without drowning in it, and then to act on it is the nearest thing to courage available in the ordinary life. The acknowledgment is already most of the bravery.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Li Ji 禮記·中庸 (Zhōng Yōng, Doctrine of the Mean)
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 知恥近乎勇 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 知恥近乎勇 (zhī chǐ jìn hū yǒng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Li Ji 禮記·中庸 (Zhōng Yōng, Doctrine of the Mean). 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 知恥近乎勇?
In Mandarin it is zhī chǐ jìn hū yǒng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 知恥近乎勇 aloud in Mandarin.