见贤思齐

見賢思齊

jiànxián-sīqí

idiom

Meanings

1 on seeing a worthy person, think of matching them
2 to emulate those who are virtuous
3 to strive to be like admirable people

Characters

worthy; virtuous person

to think; consider

equal; even; match

Examples

我们应该见贤思齐，不断提高自己。

Wǒmen yīnggāi jiànxiánsīqí, bùduàn tígāo zìjǐ.

We should aspire to match the virtuous and keep improving ourselves.

他有见贤思齐的好习惯。

Tā yǒu jiànxiánsīqí de hǎo xíguàn.

He has the good habit of wanting to emulate those who are better than him.

见贤思齐是一种可贵的品质。

Jiànxiánsīqí shì yī zhǒng kěguì de pǐnzhí.

The drive to emulate the virtuous is a rare quality.

Tips

history

Directly from the Analects 《论语·里仁》: '见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也' — 'seeing the worthy, think of matching them; seeing the unworthy, examine yourself within'. One of Confucius's core self-cultivation instructions.

culture

Still a staple of classroom moral education and school mottos. Paired with 内自省 (self-reflection on seeing others' faults) as the full Confucian learning posture.

Stroke Order

见 jiàn

贤 xián

思 sī

齐 qí