看似寻常最奇崛

看似尋常最奇崛

kàn sì xúncháng zuì qíjué

quotation

Meanings

1 what looks most ordinary is in fact the most extraordinary
2 true mastery hides under a plain surface
3 (lit.) seemingly commonplace, most remarkable

Characters

to seem / resemble

common (寻常 = ordinary/everyday)

strange / remarkable

towering / outstanding (奇崛 = extraordinary)

Examples

王安石的这句看似寻常最奇崛，常用来形容朴素中的高妙。

Wáng'ānshí de zhè jù kànsìxúnchángzuìqíjué, chángyòng lái xíngróng pǔsù zhōng de gāo miào.

Wang Anshi's line 'seemingly ordinary yet most extraordinary' is often used to describe brilliance hidden in simplicity.

大师的手法看似寻常最奇崛，初看平淡，细品惊人。

Dàshī de shǒufǎ kànsìxúnchángzuìqíjué, chū kàn píngdàn, xì pǐn jīngrén.

The master's technique is 'plain on the surface, stunning beneath' — bland at first glance, astonishing on closer look.

Tips

history

From 王安石《题张司业诗》(Song dynasty): 看似寻常最奇崛，成如容易却艰辛 (What looks commonplace is most extraordinary; what seems effortless was hardest won). Wang Anshi's praise of Tang poet 张籍 (Zhang Ji) — plain-style poetry that required enormous craft. The couplet is a favorite motto in Chinese aesthetics for the ideal of 平淡 (understated brilliance).

usage

Almost always quoted with the following line 成如容易却艰辛. Together they argue that effortless-looking excellence is actually the hardest kind.

Stroke Order

看 kàn

似 sì

寻 xún

常 cháng

最 zuì

奇 qí

崛 jué