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木受绳则直

木受繩則直
mùshòushéngzézhí
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 wood becomes straight when marked with the carpenter's line
  2. 2 people improve through discipline and standards
  3. 3 the transformative power of correction

Examples

木受绳则直，金就砺则利，学生也需要严师指点。
Mù shòu shéng zé zhí, jīn jiù lì zé lì, xuésheng yě xūyào yán shī zhǐdiǎn.
As wood grows straight under the chalk line and metal sharpens against the whetstone, students too need a strict teacher to guide them.
古人早有木受绳则直之说，意在强调规矩的作用。
Gǔrén zǎo yǒu mù shòu shéng zé zhí zhī shuō, yì zài qiángdiào guīju de zuòyòng.
The ancients said 'wood becomes straight when inked by the line' to stress the power of rules.

Tips

history
From Xunzi's (荀子, Warring States) 《荀子·劝学》 ('Encouraging Learning'): 木受绳则直，金就砺则利，君子博学而日参省乎己，则知明而行无过矣 — 'wood is straightened by the line, metal is sharpened by the whetstone; the noble one studies widely and examines himself daily, so that his knowledge is clear and his conduct without fault.' The founding text of the Confucian case for relentless self-cultivation.
usage
Almost always quoted in the four-character parallel with 金就砺则利. 绳 (shéng) here means the carpenter's inked chalk-line used to mark a straight edge, not a rope.

Stroke Order

木 mù
受 shòu
绳 shéng
则 zé
直 zhí