諺語 · a single proverb
勝人者有力，自勝者強
Simplified: 胜人者有力，自胜者强
What does 勝人者有力，自勝者強 (shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng) mean?
勝人者有力，自勝者強 (shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "who overcomes others has force; who overcomes himself is strong." In use it means: Beating other people only takes power; mastering yourself is the rarer, truer strength. 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: "who overcomes others has force; who overcomes himself is strong."
The reading
Anyone with enough force can win over another person. The one victory that actually costs you something is the one with no opponent in the room but you, and that is the only fight that leaves you stronger than you started.
The story
From chapter 33 of the Tao Te Ching: to overcome others takes force, but to overcome oneself is true strength; to know others is wisdom, but to know oneself is enlightenment. Laozi ranks the inner victory above the outer one because it is the rarer and the more lasting.
The next time you want to win over someone, ask whether the harder victory is not sitting across the table but inside you. Beat the impulse, not the person, because that is the only fight that leaves you stronger than you started.
What kind of proverb it is
Source 《老子·道德經》 chapter 33 (Tao Te Ching)
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 Monkey, Year of the Ox, Year of the Tiger, and Year of the Pig.
Questions
Is 勝人者有力，自勝者強 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 勝人者有力，自勝者強 (shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from 《老子·道德經》 chapter 33 (Tao Te Ching). 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 勝人者有力，自勝者強?
In Mandarin it is shèng rén zhě yǒu lì, zì shèng zhě qiáng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 勝人者有力，自勝者強 aloud in Mandarin.