非淡泊无以明志

非淡泊無以明志

fēi dànbó wú yǐ míng zhì

quotation

Meanings

1 without inner detachment there is no way to clarify one's ambition
2 only by letting go of desire can one see one's true purpose
3 Zhuge Liang's formula for self-cultivation

Characters

bland / detached

ambition / aspiration

Examples

HSK 7-9

他一直以“非淡泊无以明志”自勉，不追名逐利。

Tā yīzhí yǐ " fēidànbówúyǐmíngzhì " zìmiǎn, bù zhuīmíng-zhúlì.

He has always taken 'without detachment one cannot clarify one's ambition' as a personal motto, refusing to chase fame and profit.

HSK 7-9

诸葛亮告诫儿子：非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。

Zhūgě Liàng gàojiè érzi: fēidànbówúyǐmíngzhì, fēiníngjìngwúyǐzhìyuǎn.

Zhuge Liang warned his son: without detachment one cannot clarify one's ambition; without serenity one cannot reach far.

Tips

history

From Zhuge Liang's (诸葛亮, Three Kingdoms) 《诫子书》 ('Letter Admonishing My Son'), written to his son 诸葛瞻: 非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远 - 'without detachment, one cannot clarify one's ambition; without serenity, one cannot reach what is far.' One of the most famous father-to-son admonitions in Chinese literature.

usage

Always quoted alongside its twin 非宁静无以致远. 淡泊 here means 'indifference to fame and profit,' not 'bland.' The pair is a fixture on scholars' desks, school mottos, and Zhuge Liang memorabilia.

Stroke Order

非 fēi

淡 dàn

泊 bó

无 wú

以 yǐ

明 míng

志 zhì