諺語 · a single proverb
失敗乃成功之母
Simplified: 失败乃成功之母
What does 失敗乃成功之母 (shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ) mean?
失敗乃成功之母 (shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "failure is the mother of success." In use it means: Every failure carries the seed of eventual success; mistakes are the prerequisite for getting it right. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "failure is the mother of success."
The reading
The first version failed. So did the second. The third worked because it knew what the first two had tried and why those attempts fell short. Success is not the opposite of failure. It is the child of failure, raised on its lessons, speaking its language, wearing better shoes.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common saying; attributed to various sources
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 失敗乃成功之母 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 失敗乃成功之母 (shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common saying; attributed to various sources. 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 失敗乃成功之母?
In Mandarin it is shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 失敗乃成功之母 aloud in Mandarin.