諺語 · a single proverb
有志者，事竟成
What does 有志者，事竟成 (yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng) mean?
有志者，事竟成 (yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "one who has determination, matters will ultimately succeed." In use it means: Where there is a will, there is a way; with true resolve, any task will eventually be accomplished. 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 Tiger.
Literally: "one who has determination, matters will ultimately succeed."
The reading
The task does not care how many times you have failed. It only cares whether you have stopped. The person with genuine resolve does not count the failures-they count them only as the necessary steps between where they started and where they are going.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Later Han 後漢書, Geng Yan biography (耿弇傳)
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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 有志者，事竟成 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 有志者，事竟成 (yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Book of Later Han 後漢書, Geng Yan biography (耿弇傳). 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 有志者，事竟成?
In Mandarin it is yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 有志者，事竟成 aloud in Mandarin.