人rén非fēi聖shèng人rén，孰shú能néng無wú過guò

What does 人非聖人，孰能無過 (rén fēi shèng rén shú néng wú guò) mean?

人非聖人，孰能無過 (rén fēi shèng rén shú néng wú guò) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "persons are not sages, who can be without fault." In use it means: No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes-what matters is whether you learn from them. 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 Goat.

Literally: "persons are not sages, who can be without fault."

The reading

The standard of perfection is not the relevant standard. The relevant standard is whether the error, once made, was acknowledged and addressed or protected and excused. To be human is to err; the variable is in the response. What is done with the mistake is the actual measure.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie羊 Year of the Goat

Source Zuozhuan 左傳·宣公二年 (Xuān Gōng Year 2)

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 Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.