諺語 · a single proverb
滿招損，謙受益
Simplified: 满招损，谦受益
What does 滿招損，謙受益 (mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì) mean?
滿招損，謙受益 (mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "fullness invites loss; humility receives gain." In use it means: Complacency and self-satisfaction erode what you have; staying humble and open is what keeps you growing. This, the ancients said, is the way of Heaven. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "fullness invites loss; humility receives gain."
The reading
The moment you decide you've arrived is the moment the ground starts sliding back. Stay a little unfinished, a little hungry to learn, and the room keeps making space for you. The cup that thinks it is full stops being poured into.
The story
The line is from the Book of Documents, in the Counsels of the Great Yu: fullness invites loss, and humility receives gain, which the text calls the way of Heaven. Its image is the cup so full it can only spill against the open hand that keeps being filled, and it is used to warn that complacency erodes what you have while openness keeps you growing.
The moment you decide you have arrived is the moment the ground starts sliding back. Stay a little unfinished and a little hungry to learn, because the cup that thinks it is full stops being poured into, and the room keeps making space for the one who stays open.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Documents 尚書, Counsels of the Great Yu 大禹謨
Sits beside
知足常樂
zhī zú cháng lè
Contentment with what you have brings lasting happiness.
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.
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 Pig, Year of the Rabbit, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 滿招損，謙受益 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 滿招損，謙受益 (mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Book of Documents 尚書, Counsels of the Great Yu 大禹謨. 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 滿招損，謙受益?
In Mandarin it is mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 滿招損，謙受益 aloud in Mandarin.