諺語 · a single proverb
虛懷若谷
Simplified: 虚怀若谷
What does 虛懷若谷 (xū huái ruò gǔ) mean?
虛懷若谷 (xū huái ruò gǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "a mind as open and empty as a valley." In use it means: True humility keeps the mind hollow like a valley, open enough to receive every stream, every view, without needing to be right. 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 Pig.
Literally: "a mind as open and empty as a valley."
The reading
The most secure people you know are strangely easy to correct. They hold their opinions loosely, like a valley holding water it never grips. Empty a little of your certainty and notice how much more flows in.
The story
The image comes from chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching, which describes the ancient masters as being as open and receptive as a valley. True humility keeps the mind hollow like a valley, low enough that every stream runs into it, without the need to be right.
Hold your opinions the way a valley holds water, without gripping. Empty a little of your certainty in the next disagreement, actually let the other view in, and notice how much more flows to a mind that stays open.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Dao De Jing 道德經, chapter 15 (Laozi)
Sits beside
謙謙君子
qiān qiān jūn zǐ
One who adds humility to humility, a person of standing who stays modest, moves through the world with grace and meets good fortune.
滿招損，謙受益
mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì
Complacency and self-satisfaction erode what you have.
知足常樂
zhī zú cháng lè
Contentment with what you have brings lasting happiness.
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 Pig, Year of the Rabbit, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 虛懷若谷 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 虛懷若谷 (xū huái ruò gǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Dao De Jing 道德經, chapter 15 (Laozi). 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 虛懷若谷?
In Mandarin it is xū huái ruò gǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 虛懷若谷 aloud in Mandarin.