諺語 · a single proverb
教學相長
Simplified: 教学相长
What does 教學相長 (jiào xué xiāng zhǎng) mean?
教學相長 (jiào xué xiāng zhǎng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "Teaching and learning grow together." In use it means: The act of teaching deepens the teacher's own understanding. Instruction is not a one-way transfer but a mutual process of growth. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "Teaching and learning grow together.."
The reading
The best teachers are those who never stopped being students. Explaining something to another mind forces you to understand it more honestly. Growth is not a gift the teacher gives but a current that flows both ways. The classroom where only one person learns is only half a classroom.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Lǐ Jì (禮記), Xué Jì chapter, Book of Rites
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 教學相長 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 教學相長 (jiào xué xiāng zhǎng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Lǐ Jì (禮記), Xué Jì chapter, Book of Rites. 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 教學相長?
In Mandarin it is jiào xué xiāng zhǎng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 教學相長 aloud in Mandarin.