其作始也简

其作始也簡

Qí zuò shǐ yě jiǎn

quotation

Meanings

1 its beginnings are simple
2 great things start small
3 at its inception, it is modest

Characters

classical pause particle

simple / modest

Examples

HSK 7-9

其作始也简，其将毕也必巨 - 任何伟大的事业都是从小做起的。

Qí zuò shǐ yě jiǎn, qí jiāng bì yě bì jù - rènhé wěidà de shìyè dōu shì cóngxiǎo zuò qǐ de.

'It begins simply, and will end grandly' - every great enterprise starts from small beginnings.

HSK 7-9

这家公司其作始也简，如今已是行业龙头。

Zhè jiā gōngsī qí zuò shǐ yě jiǎn, rújīn yǐ shì hángyè lóngtóu.

This company had humble beginnings, yet today it leads the industry.

Tips

history

From 《庄子·人间世》: 其作始也简，其将毕也必巨 (What begins in simplicity must end in grandeur.) Zhuangzi uses it to describe the natural growth of any undertaking - small causes lead to enormous consequences. Mao Zedong famously quoted it in 1956 at the 8th Party Congress.

usage

Always paired with 其将毕也必巨 as a couplet. The 也 here is a classical particle marking a pause, not the modern 'also.'

Stroke Order

其 qí

作 zuò

始 shǐ

也 yě

简 jiǎn