道之所存，师之所存

道之所存，師之所存

dàozhīsuǒcún,shīzhīsuǒcún

phrase

Meanings

1 Where the Way is, there is the teacher
2 If someone has grasped the truth before you, take them as your teacher
3 We should learn from anyone who knows the way

Characters

(possessive particle)

place/that which

(possessive particle)

place/that which

Examples

古人云“道之所存，师之所存”，谁懂就向谁学。

Gǔrén yún "dào zhī suǒ cún, shī zhī suǒ cún", shéi dǒng jiù xiàng shéi xué.

The ancients said 'where the Way is, there is the teacher' — whoever knows, learn from them.

他践行“道之所存，师之所存”的精神，向年轻人请教技术。

Tā jiànxíng "dào zhī suǒ cún, shī zhī suǒ cún" de jīngshén, xiàng niánqīngrén qǐngjiào jìshù.

Embracing the principle that knowledge is wherever it lives, he asked younger people for tech advice.

Tips

history

From Han Yu's (韩愈 Hán Yù, Tang dynasty) essay 《师说》 (Shī Shuō, On the Teacher). The full passage argues that teachers should be chosen by who has the Way (道 dào, truth/principle), not by age, status, or social rank — a radical position in 8th-century Tang society.

usage

Often quoted to defend learning from those younger or lower-status than oneself. Pairs naturally with 不耻下问 (bùchǐxiàwèn, not ashamed to ask those below you) — also from Han Yu's intellectual lineage.

Stroke Order

道 dào

之 zhī

所 suǒ

存 cún

师 shī