学而优则仕 — “Learn and excel, then become an official”
学而优则仕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently and excel, then pursue a career in public service or administration; to be promoted to official positions based on academic merit”. Literally, “Learn and excel, then become an official”.
学而优则仕 Pronunciation and Pinyin
学而优则仕 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 学而优则仕
Origin and Story of 学而优则仕
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius traveled with his disciples through various states, encountering many setbacks.
While staying in the State of Zheng due to illness, they discussed matters of governance under a melon trellis planted by Fan Chi. Zixia argued that a gentleman should become an official, stating "learn well and then serve" (学而优则仕), questioning the purpose of knowledge if not used in governance.
Confucius agreed with his view. However, they ultimately did not gain recognition from the powerful authorities and thus did not attain high official positions.
Idioms Related to 学而优则仕
Synonyms of 学而优则仕
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rú如bù不jí及，，yóu犹kǒng恐shī失zhī之study diligently, fearing to fall behind
- xué学rú如niú牛máo毛，，chéng成rú如lín麟jiǎo角Many learn, few succeed
- 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
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Open the tool →Questions about 学而优则仕
What does 学而优则仕 mean?
学而优则仕 (xué ér yōu zé shì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to study diligently and excel, then pursue a career in public service or administration; to be promoted to official positions based on academic merit”.
How do you pronounce 学而优则仕?
学而优则仕 is pronounced xué ér yōu zé shì in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 学而优则仕 literally mean?
Literally, 学而优则仕 means “Learn and excel, then become an official”. It is used to mean “to study diligently and excel, then pursue a career in public service or administration; to be promoted to official positions based on academic merit”.
Where does 学而优则仕 come from?
学而优则仕 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 学而优则仕?
优：有余力，学习了还有余力，就去做官。后指学习成绩优秀然后提拔当官。