諺語 · a single proverb
三人行，必有我師
Simplified: 三人行，必有我师
What does 三人行，必有我師 (sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī) mean?
三人行，必有我師 (sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "of three walking together, one is my teacher." In use it means: There is always someone, in any company, from whom you can learn. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "of three walking together, one is my teacher."
The reading
You quietly rank the people around you, deciding who is worth listening to before they have spoken. The one you have written off is holding the exact thing you are missing. Walk beside them as a student and the ordinary afternoon starts teaching.
The story
From the Analects, Book 7: when three walk together, Confucius said, there is always one who can be my teacher, for I choose their good points to follow and their faults to correct in myself. Even the person you would dismiss is holding a lesson, whether by example or by warning.
Pick the one person you have quietly written off and decide, just for today, to walk beside them as a student. Watch for the thing they do well that you do not, or the fault of theirs you carry too, and let the ordinary afternoon teach you.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Book 7
Sits beside
溫故知新
wēn gù zhī xīn
Reviewing what you have learned yields fresh understanding.
學而不思則罔
xué ér bù sī zé wǎng
Study without reflection leaves you confused.
尺有所短，寸有所長
chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng
Even the larger measure has its shortcomings and the smaller its strengths: everyone has gifts and gaps, so judge no one, and least of all yourself, by a single scale.
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Monkey.
Questions
Is 三人行，必有我師 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 三人行，必有我師 (sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Analects 論語, Book 7. 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 三人行，必有我師?
In Mandarin it is sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 三人行，必有我師 aloud in Mandarin.