Read through ten thousand volumes, and the brush will move as if guided by a spirit.
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From Du Fu's (杜甫, Tang dynasty) 《奉赠韦左丞丈二十二韵》: 读书破万卷，下笔如有神 — 'Read to the point of wearing through ten thousand scrolls, and when the brush touches paper, it moves as if guided by a spirit.' Du Fu wrote it about his own early training; the couplet became the motto for every reading-to-write argument in Chinese education.
usage
Almost always cited with its twin 读书破万卷 ('read until ten thousand scrolls are worn through'). The unstated premise: the miraculous fluency comes from decades of reading, not talent alone.
