三sān個gè臭chòu皮pí匠jiàng，頂dǐng個gè諸zhū葛gě亮liàng

What does 三個臭皮匠，頂個諸葛亮 (sān gè chòu pí jiàng dǐng gè zhū gě liàng) mean?

三個臭皮匠，頂個諸葛亮 (sān gè chòu pí jiàng dǐng gè zhū gě liàng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "three stinking cobblers equal one Zhuge Liang." In use it means: Ordinary people pooling their thinking can match a genius. Do not underestimate collective intelligence. 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 Monkey.

Literally: "three stinking cobblers equal one Zhuge Liang."

The reading

Zhuge Liang is the smartest strategist in Chinese history. Three cobblers are three cobblers. But three heads looking at the same problem from three angles cover ground that one brilliant head, fixed in one position, cannot. The genius has depth. The group has width. Width wins more often than people admit.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element火 Fire
• Zodiac tie猴 Year of the Monkey

Source Folk proverb; references Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.