莫道君行早

mòdàojūnxíngzǎo

phrase

Meanings

1 do not say you set out early
2 however early you rise, others are earlier
3 a humble check on self-congratulation

Characters

you (polite) / sir

to travel / set out

Examples

莫道君行早，更有早行人，别得意得太快。

Mò dào jūn xíng zǎo, gèng yǒu zǎo xíng rén, bié déyì de tài kuài.

Don't say you set out early — there's always someone earlier; don't get too pleased with yourself.

他提醒团队：莫道君行早，强手如林。

Tā tíxǐng tuánduì: mò dào jūn xíng zǎo, qiángshǒu rú lín.

He reminded the team: don't think we got there first — strong rivals are everywhere.

Tips

history

A proverb of folk origin collected in the Ming-Qing household anthology 《增广贤文》: 莫道君行早，更有早行人 — 'do not say that you set out early; there is always someone earlier on the road.' A common lesson in humility and competitive awareness, frequently quoted in Chinese schools and business speeches.

usage

Almost always quoted with its twin 更有早行人. The saying is a gentle rebuke: whatever you think is a head start, someone is already ahead of you.

Stroke Order

莫 mò

道 dào

君 jūn

行 xíng

早 zǎo