闻道有先后

聞道有先後
Wén dào yǒu xiān hòu
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 in learning the Way, some hear it first and others later
  2. 2 people come to understanding at different times
  3. 3 Han Yu's egalitarian maxim on learning

Examples

HSK 6
Chéngxùyuán zhuǎnháng zuò AI yě bù chí, wéndàoyǒuxiānhòu ma.
It's not too late for a programmer to pivot to AI - learning comes at different times for different people.
HSK 7-9
Wéndàoyǒuxiānhòu, shùyèyǒuzhuāngōng, búbì yīn niánlíng ér zìbēi.
Some hear the Way earlier, some later; each specializes in a craft - no need to feel inferior because of age.

Tips

history
From the Tang-dynasty essay 《师说》 by 韩愈: "是故弟子不必不如师师不必贤于弟子闻道有先后术业有专攻如是而已。" Han Yu argued against the contemporary shame of learning from a teacher, holding that before knowledge teacher and student are equal: whoever grasps the truth first can teach.
usage
Almost always used with the following line 术业有专攻. Today it commonly encourages cross-field learning, opposes age discrimination, and makes the point that nobody is born all-knowing.

Stroke Order

wén
dào
yǒu
xiān
hòu