諺語 · a single proverb
人外有人，天外有天
What does 人外有人，天外有天 (rén wài yǒu rén tiān wài yǒu tiān) mean?
人外有人，天外有天 (rén wài yǒu rén tiān wài yǒu tiān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "beyond people there are people, beyond sky there is sky." In use it means: No matter how skilled you are, someone out there is better. The world is always bigger than your corner of it. Stay humble, keep learning. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "beyond people there are people, beyond sky there is sky."
The reading
The best swimmer in the village goes to the city and finds faster swimmers. The fastest in the city goes to the coast and watches the dolphins. There is always another level. This is not discouraging. It is the reason the road never gets boring.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb; classical parallel in Zhuangzi 莊子 (Autumn Floods 秋水)
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 人外有人，天外有天 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人外有人，天外有天 (rén wài yǒu rén tiān wài yǒu tiān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb; classical parallel in Zhuangzi 莊子 (Autumn Floods 秋水). 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 人外有人，天外有天?
In Mandarin it is rén wài yǒu rén tiān wài yǒu tiān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人外有人，天外有天 aloud in Mandarin.