諺語 · a single proverb
內外兼修
Simplified: 内外兼修
What does 內外兼修 (nèi wài jiān xiū) mean?
內外兼修 (nèi wài jiān xiū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "inside and outside both cultivate." In use it means: Cultivate both inner virtue and outer capability; develop internally and externally. 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 Snake.
Literally: "inside and outside both cultivate."
The reading
The building whose exterior is magnificent and interior is hollow will not stand inspection from anyone who enters. Inner cultivation without outer expression remains private; outer achievement without inner grounding remains fragile. The one who tends both lives in a home that holds under all kinds of weather.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese philosophical and martial arts principle
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 Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 內外兼修 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 內外兼修 (nèi wài jiān xiū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese philosophical and martial arts principle. 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 內外兼修?
In Mandarin it is nèi wài jiān xiū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 內外兼修 aloud in Mandarin.