愚者千虑，必有一得 — “Even a foolish person”

愚者千虑，必有一得 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Even a foolish person”. After much deliberation, may occasionally come up with a good idea. Literally, “A fool's many thoughts, surely yield one gain”.

Frequency

愚者千虑，必有一得 Pronunciation and Pinyin

愚者千虑，必有一得 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
愚	yú	13	foolish, stupid, ignorant
者	zhě	9	person, thing, or situation
千	qiān	3	thousand, many
虑	lǜ	10	think about the future
，	，	—
必	bì	5	must, bound to
有	yǒu	6	to have or to exist
一	yī	1	one, a, single, whole
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable

Example Sentence with 愚者千虑，必有一得

在团队讨论中，大家踊跃发言，集思广益，正所谓愚者千虑，必有一得，总能找到解决问题的好办法。

In team discussions, everyone actively speaks up and brainstorms; as the saying goes, 'even a fool, after much deliberation, may have a good idea,' and we always manage to find good solutions to problems.

Origin and Story of 愚者千虑，必有一得

During the Chu-Han Contention period, after Han Xin captured King Xie of Zhao, he also took King Xie's advisor, Li Zuoche, prisoner.

Han Xin, showing great humility, sought Li Zuoche's counsel on the strategy for conquering the states of Yan and Qi.

Li Zuoche advised him to rest his troops for a period and concurrently intensify the propaganda efforts against Yan. This approach, he suggested, could lead to victory without engaging in battle.

Li Zuoche then added, "Even the wisest person, after much deliberation, may make an error; similarly, even a foolish person, after many thoughts, may hit upon a good idea. Please consider these points for your reference."