諺語 · a single proverb
失敗是成功之母
Simplified: 失败是成功之母
What does 失敗是成功之母 (shī bài shì chéng gōng zhī mǔ) mean?
失敗是成功之母 (shī bài shì 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 teaches something necessary for eventual success; defeat is a prerequisite, not the opposite, of achievement. 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 Dragon.
Literally: "failure is the mother of success."
The reading
Success has a mother and her name is Failure. Every successful person has an album of failures they do not show at parties. The failures were not detours. They were the road. The only people without failures are the people who never attempted anything, and their record is clean because it is empty.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common proverb; widely attributed, deeply embedded in Chinese folk wisdom
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 Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 失敗是成功之母 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 失敗是成功之母 (shī bài shì chéng gōng zhī mǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common proverb; widely attributed, deeply embedded in Chinese folk wisdom. 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 失敗是成功之母?
In Mandarin it is shī bài shì 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 失敗是成功之母 aloud in Mandarin.