非学无以广才

非學無以廣才
fēixuéwúyǐguǎngcái
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 without study, there is no way to broaden one's talent
  2. 2 (fig.) learning is the only path to expanding one's abilities
  3. 3 (lit.) not study — no way — to widen talent

Examples

Lǎoshī cháng yǐnyòng fēi xué wú yǐ guǎng cái, gǔlì xuéshēng duō dúshū.
The teacher often quotes 'without study one cannot broaden one's talent' to encourage students to read more.
Tā bǎ fēi xué wú yǐ guǎng cái xiě zài shūzhuō qián.
He wrote 'without study, no broadening of talent' above his desk.

Tips

history
From 诸葛亮》 (Zhuge Liang, 'Admonition to My Son,' c. 234 CE), the deathbed letter to his son Zhuge Zhan: 无以广无以 (Study requires stillness; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to broaden one's talent; without resolve there is no way to complete one's study). One of the most-quoted self-cultivation texts in Chinese education.
usage
Almost always cited paired with 无以 (without resolve, no completion of study). 无以 = classical 'have no way to / cannot.' Standard mainland textbook passage.

Stroke Order

fēi
xué
广 guǎng
cái