How do you pronounce 青出于蓝?

青出于蓝 is pronounced qīng chū yú lán in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 青出于蓝 literally mean?

Literally, 青出于蓝 means “Blue comes from indigo, but is bluer”. It is used to mean “the student surpasses the teacher”.

Where does 青出于蓝 come from?

青出于蓝 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 青出于蓝?

青：靛青；蓝：蓼蓝之类可作染料的草。青是从蓝草里提炼出来的，但颜色比蓝更深。比喻学生超过老师或后人胜过前人。

青出于蓝 — “The student surpasses the teacher”

青出于蓝 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the student surpasses the teacher”. The apprentice outdoes the master. It metaphorically describes how a successor or a younger generation can achieve greater things than their predecessors or mentors. Literally, “Blue comes from indigo, but is bluer”.

Frequency

青出于蓝 Pronunciation and Pinyin

青qīng
出chū
于yú
蓝lán

青出于蓝 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
青	qīng	8	green, blue, or young
出	chū	5	go or come out
于	yú	3	at, in, on, to, from
蓝	lán	14	the color blue

Example Sentence with 青出于蓝

小明在编程方面，仅仅学习了两年，就已经青出于蓝，开发出了连老师都赞叹的创新应用

Xiao Ming, in terms of programming, after only two years of study, has already surpassed his teacher, developing innovative applications that even his instructor highly praised.

Origin and Story of 青出于蓝

During the Northern Wei dynasty, the scholar Li Mi was a very diligent student under the literature doctor Kong Fan. He studied assiduously, was humble and eager to learn, and improved very quickly.

After several years, Li Mi's scholarship surpassed that of his teacher, Kong Fan, who in turn began to seek advice from Li Mi.

The other students composed a song about this: 'Blue originates from indigo, but indigo yields to blue; a teacher's status is not constant, it lies in understanding the classics thoroughly.'

Idioms Related to 青出于蓝

Synonyms of 青出于蓝

hòu后lái来jū居shàng上latercomers surpass predecessors

Antonyms of 青出于蓝

měi每kuàng况yù愈xià下go from bad to worse

More idioms starting with 青

Questions about 青出于蓝

What does 青出于蓝 mean?: 青出于蓝 (qīng chū yú lán) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the student surpasses the teacher”.
How do you pronounce 青出于蓝?: 青出于蓝 is pronounced qīng chū yú lán in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 青出于蓝 literally mean?: Literally, 青出于蓝 means “Blue comes from indigo, but is bluer”. It is used to mean “the student surpasses the teacher”.
Where does 青出于蓝 come from?: 青出于蓝 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 青出于蓝?: 青：靛青；蓝：蓼蓝之类可作染料的草。青是从蓝草里提炼出来的，但颜色比蓝更深。比喻学生超过老师或后人胜过前人。

Copy the pinyin for 青出于蓝 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.