非宁静无以致远

非寧靜無以致遠

fēiníngjìngwúyǐzhìyuǎn

phrase

Meanings

1 without tranquility, one cannot reach far
2 only in serenity can one achieve distant goals

Characters

quiet (宁静 = tranquil)

to reach / attain

Examples

非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。

Fēi dànbó wú yǐ míng zhì, fēi níngjìng wú yǐ zhì yuǎn.

Without detachment from fame and gain, one cannot clarify one's aspirations; without tranquility, one cannot reach far.

做学问要耐得住寂寞，非宁静无以致远。

Zuò xuéwèn yào nài de zhù jìmò, fēi níngjìng wú yǐ zhì yuǎn.

Scholarship requires enduring loneliness — without tranquility one cannot achieve distant goals.

Tips

history

From Zhuge Liang's 《诫子书》 (Three Kingdoms, ~234 CE), a letter of advice to his son: 非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。 One of the most-quoted passages in Chinese parenting literature — Zhuge Liang, known for strategic genius, tells his son the road to greatness begins with inner quiet.

usage

非…无以… is a classical double-negative pattern: 'without X there is no means to Y'. Always quoted alongside 非淡泊无以明志 — the two clauses are a fixed pair.

Stroke Order

非 fēi

宁 níng

静 jìng

无 wú

以 yǐ

致 zhì

远 yuǎn