日月不同光

rìyuèbùtóngguāng

phrase

Meanings

1 sun and moon do not share the same light
2 (fig.) different beings have different natures / talents — each shines in their own way
3 (lit.) sun — moon — not — same — light

Characters

Examples

兄弟二人各有特长，日月不同光，不必互相比较。

Xiōngdì èr rén gè yǒu tècháng, rì yuè bù tóng guāng, bùbì hùxiāng bǐjiào.

The two brothers each have their own strengths — 'sun and moon shine differently'; no need to compare them.

每个人的光芒不一样，正如日月不同光。

Měi gèrén de guāngmáng bù yīyàng, zhèngrú rì yuè bù tóng guāng.

Everyone's brilliance is different — just as 'sun and moon do not share the same light.'

Tips

history

From 曹植《当欲游南山行》 (Cao Zhi, Three Kingdoms, early 3rd c.): 日月不同光，昼夜各有宜 (Sun and moon do not share one light; day and night each has its own fitting time). Cao Zhi — Cao Cao's gifted son, author of the Seven Steps Poem — uses the cosmic pairing to argue that different natures serve different purposes, a common move in his verse about brotherly rivalry.

usage

Canonically read with the next line 昼夜各有宜 ('day and night each has its proper use'). 光 here = 'luminance / radiance' rather than specifically 'light ray.' Modern quoters typically use it to counsel against invidious comparison.

Stroke Order

日 rì

月 yuè

不 bù

同 tóng

光 guāng