千里马常有

千里馬常有

qiānlǐmǎchángyǒu

phrase

Meanings

1 thousand-li horses are common
2 genuine talent is not rare
3 (lit.) thousand-li horses are often there

Characters

often / commonly

Examples

公司招人要记住：千里马常有，而伯乐不常有。

Gōngsī zhāo rén yào jìzhu: qiānlǐ mǎ cháng yǒu, ér bólè bù cháng yǒu.

In hiring, remember: talented people are common — true talent-spotters are not.

她常说千里马常有，问题是缺少识才的眼光。

Tā cháng shuō qiānlǐ mǎ cháng yǒu, wèntí shì quēshǎo shí cái de yǎnguāng.

She often says that talented horses abound — the problem is the lack of eyes to see them.

Tips

history

From Han Yu's (韩愈) Tang-dynasty essay 《马说》 (Discourse on Horses). Opening: 『世有伯乐，然后有千里马。千里马常有，而伯乐不常有』— 'only when a Bole exists can thousand-li horses emerge. Thousand-li horses are common; a Bole is not.' Bole (伯乐) was the legendary ancient horse-judge; Han Yu uses the horse as an allegory for overlooked human talent.

usage

Almost always paired with 『而伯乐不常有』. The complaint is aimed at bad talent-selection: the gifted are everywhere; the rare thing is a discerning judge who recognizes them.

Stroke Order

千 qiān

里 lǐ

马 mǎ

常 cháng

有 yǒu