学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 — “Scholars are as numerous as ox hair, but successful ones are as rare as a unicorn's horn”
学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Many embark on learning or a particular pursuit, but very few truly excel or achieve mastery; it is extremely difficult to succeed in a chosen field”. Literally, “Scholars are as numerous as ox hair, but successful ones are as rare as a unicorn's horn”.
学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 Pronunciation and Pinyin
学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 Character Breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Strokes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| xué | 8 | learn, study, school, knowledge | |
| zhě | 9 | person, thing, or situation | |
| rú | 6 | like, as, if | |
| niú | 4 | Ox, awesome, or stubborn | |
| máo | 4 | Hair, fur, or rough | |
| ， | ， | — | |
| chéng | 7 | to become or succeed | |
| zhě | 9 | person, thing, or situation | |
| rú | 6 | like, as, if | |
| lín | 23 | mythical auspicious creature | |
| jiǎo | 7 | horn, corner, angle, role, dime |
Example Sentence with 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角
Idioms Related to 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角
Synonyms of 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角
More idioms starting with 学
- xué学bù不zhān沾qià洽not deeply learned or well-versed
- xué学bù不liè躐děng等learning should not skip stages
- xué学yè业yǒu有chéng成achieve academic success
- xué学shū书bù不chéng成，，xué学jiàn剑bù不chéng成fail to master any skill
- xué学shū书xué学jiàn剑study literature and practice martial arts
- xué学yǐ以zhì致yòng用apply knowledge to practice
- xué学yōu优cái才shàn赡learned and exceptionally talented
- xué学yōu优ér而shì仕excel in studies to become an official
- xué学rú如bù不jí及，，yóu犹kǒng恐shī失zhī之study diligently, fearing to fall behind
- xué学rú如dēng登shān山Learning is like climbing a mountain
- xué学rú如chuān穿jǐng井Learning requires persistent effort to deepen understanding
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角
What does 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 mean?
学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 (xué zhě rú niú máo ， chéng zhě rú lín jiǎo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Many embark on learning or a particular pursuit, but very few truly excel or achieve mastery; it is extremely difficult to succeed in a chosen field”.
How do you pronounce 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角?
学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 is pronounced xué zhě rú niú máo ， chéng zhě rú lín jiǎo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 literally mean?
Literally, 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角 means “Scholars are as numerous as ox hair, but successful ones are as rare as a unicorn's horn”. It is used to mean “Many embark on learning or a particular pursuit, but very few truly excel or achieve mastery; it is extremely difficult to succeed in a chosen field”.
What is the Chinese definition of 学者如牛毛，成者如麟角?
牛毛：比喻多；麟角：麒麟的角，比喻少。学的人很多，学成的人极少。形容要学业有成极不容易