後生可畏
Chinese
| young person; young generation; descendants | dreadful; horrible; formidable | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (後生可畏) | 後生 | 可畏 | |
| simp. (后生可畏) | 后生 | 可畏 | |
Etymology
From the Analects, Book 9 (《論語·子罕》):
- 子曰：「後生可畏，焉知來者之不如今也？四十、五十而無聞焉，斯亦不足畏也已。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zǐyuē: “Hòushēng kěwèi, yān zhī láizhě zhī bùrú jīn yě? Sìshí, wǔshí ér wú wén yān, sī yì bùzú wèi yě yǐ.” [Pinyin]
- The Master said, "A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, then indeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect."
子曰：「后生可畏，焉知来者之不如今也？四十、五十而无闻焉，斯亦不足畏也已。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
後生可畏
- a young person displaying exceptional skills; a young person's abilities must be respected; though inexperienced, the younger generations will surpass us in time
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