諺語 · a single proverb
欲窮千里目，更上一層樓
Simplified: 欲穷千里目，更上一层楼
What does 欲窮千里目，更上一層樓 (yù qióng qiān lǐ mù gèng shàng yī céng lóu) mean?
欲窮千里目，更上一層樓 (yù qióng qiān lǐ mù gèng shàng yī céng lóu) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "wish to see a thousand li, climb one more floor." In use it means: To see further, you must rise higher; if you want greater understanding, strive upward. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "wish to see a thousand li, climb one more floor."
The reading
The view from the penultimate floor is already extraordinary, but the next floor contains a horizon the current floor has hidden. Growth does not arrive as a conclusion but as a view that reveals what was always just beyond the previous vantage. There is always one more floor, and it always pays to climb it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Wang Zhihuan 王之渙·《登鸛雀樓》 (Dēng Guàn Què Lóu, Tang Dynasty poem)
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 Dragon, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 欲窮千里目，更上一層樓 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 欲窮千里目，更上一層樓 (yù qióng qiān lǐ mù gèng shàng yī céng lóu) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Wang Zhihuan 王之渙·《登鸛雀樓》 (Dēng Guàn Què Lóu, Tang Dynasty poem). 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 欲窮千里目，更上一層樓?
In Mandarin it is yù qióng qiān lǐ mù gèng shàng yī céng lóu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 欲窮千里目，更上一層樓 aloud in Mandarin.