諺語 · a single proverb
無過而能改，善莫大焉
Simplified: 无过而能改，善莫大焉
What does 無過而能改，善莫大焉 (wú guò ér néng gǎi shàn mò dà yān) mean?
無過而能改，善莫大焉 (wú guò ér néng gǎi shàn mò dà yān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "if having fault and can correct, no greater virtue." In use it means: If you have made an error and correct it, there is no greater virtue than this. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.
Literally: "if having fault and can correct, no greater virtue."
The reading
The correction of the mistake is worth more than its never having occurred, because the one who corrects has done two things: acknowledged the truth and moved toward it. The person who has never erred is just the person whose errors have not been visible yet. The one who corrects them visibly has demonstrated something rarer.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zuozhuan 左傳·宣公二年 (Xuān Gōng Year 2)
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 無過而能改，善莫大焉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 無過而能改，善莫大焉 (wú guò ér néng gǎi shàn mò dà yān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Zuozhuan 左傳·宣公二年 (Xuān Gōng Year 2). 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 無過而能改，善莫大焉?
In Mandarin it is wú guò ér néng gǎi shàn mò dà yān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 無過而能改，善莫大焉 aloud in Mandarin.