諺語 · a single proverb
循循善誘
What does 循循善誘 (xún xún shàn yòu) mean?
循循善誘 (xún xún shàn yòu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "step-by-step, well-guided." In use it means: Guide patiently and skillfully step by step; good teaching through gentle, systematic encouragement. 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 Ox.
Literally: "step-by-step, well-guided."
The reading
The patient teacher does not push from behind but moves just ahead, visible and unhurrying, offering the next step only when the current one is steady. What is drawn forward by interest lasts longer than what is pushed by pressure, and the learner led by curiosity rather than fear arrives somewhere quite different from the one who arrived in a hurry.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects of Confucius 論語·子罕 (Zǐ Hǎn IX)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 循循善誘 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 循循善誘 (xún xún shàn yòu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Analects of Confucius 論語·子罕 (Zǐ Hǎn IX). 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 循循善誘?
In Mandarin it is xún xún shàn yòu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 循循善誘 aloud in Mandarin.