諺語 · a single proverb
五十步笑百步
What does 五十步笑百步 (wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù) mean?
五十步笑百步 (wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps." In use it means: The soldier who ran fifty steps from battle mocks the one who ran a hundred. Both retreated. The difference is only in degree, not in kind. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps."
The reading
The person who wastes five hours a day judges the person who wastes ten. The person with three vices judges the person with six. The mirror is never as harsh as the window. Before you count someone else's steps, count your own. The number might be different. The direction is the same.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Mencius 孟子, Liang Hui Wang 梁惠王上
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 五十步笑百步 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 五十步笑百步 (wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Mencius 孟子, Liang Hui Wang 梁惠王上. 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 五十步笑百步?
In Mandarin it is wǔ shí bù xiào bǎi bù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 五十步笑百步 aloud in Mandarin.