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天高任鸟飞

天高任鳥飛
tiāngāorènniǎofēi
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the sky is high, letting birds fly (freely) — a vast space of opportunity for one's talents
  2. 2 literally: the sky is high, let birds fly

Examples

毕业之后，天高任鸟飞，海阔凭鱼跃。
Bìyè zhīhòu, tiān gāo rèn niǎo fēi, hǎi kuò píng yú yuè.
After graduation, the sky is vast for birds to fly and the sea wide for fish to leap.
这个平台给了我们天高任鸟飞的空间。
Zhège píngtái gěi le wǒmen tiān gāo rèn niǎo fēi de kōngjiān.
This platform gives us a sky-wide space in which to spread our wings.

Tips

history
A Chan-Buddhist-flavoured couplet recorded in the Song-dynasty collection 《禅宗颂古联珠通集》 and popularised in Ming fiction: 海阔凭鱼跃，天高任鸟飞 — 'The sea is wide, letting fish leap; the sky is high, letting birds fly.' Used in later Chinese literature as the standard image of expansive freedom.
usage
Paired couplet with 海阔凭鱼跃 — the two halves are nearly inseparable. Staple of career advice, graduation speeches, and ad copy for platforms / cities / programmes promising 'room to grow'. 任 here is rèn (to let / allow), not rén.

Stroke Order

天 tiān
高 gāo
任 rèn
鸟 niǎo
飞 fēi