择其善者而从之

擇其善者而從之
zéqíshànzhěércóngzhī
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 choose what is good in them and follow it
  2. 2 learn from others' strengths (literally: select the good ones among them and follow them)

Examples

Dúshū de dàolǐ jiùshì zé qí shànzhě ér cóng zhī.
The principle of reading is to choose what is good and follow it.
Gēn tóngshì xiāngchǔ, yào zé qí shànzhě ér cóng zhī.
When getting along with colleagues, learn from their strong points.

Tips

history
From the Analects 《·》: ‘人行不善。’ (When three walk together, one of them must be my teacher. Choose what is good and follow it; identify what is bad and correct it.) Confucius' classic formulation of learning from everyone around you.
usage
Often quoted together with the preceding line 人行. In modern speech it is used as a ready-made phrase urging humility and selective imitation.

Stroke Order

shàn
zhě
ér
cóng
zhī