諺語 · a single proverb
老驥伏櫪，志在千里
Simplified: 老骥伏枥，志在千里
What does 老驥伏櫪，志在千里 (lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ) mean?
老驥伏櫪，志在千里 (lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "old thoroughbred lies in stall, ambition at a thousand li." In use it means: Even in old age, the great still harbor great ambitions. 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 Horse.
Literally: "old thoroughbred lies in stall, ambition at a thousand li."
The reading
The horse in the stall whose racing days are behind it still lifts its head at the sound of the starting drum. Age can slow the body without slowing the aspiration that lives deeper than the body. The distance is still in there, burning quietly, and it does not depend on legs.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Cao Cao 曹操·《步出夏門行》 (Bù Chū Xià Mén Xíng poem)
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 老驥伏櫪，志在千里 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 老驥伏櫪，志在千里 (lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Cao Cao 曹操·《步出夏門行》 (Bù Chū Xià Mén Xíng poem). 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 老驥伏櫪，志在千里?
In Mandarin it is lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 老驥伏櫪，志在千里 aloud in Mandarin.