后生可畏 — “Young people are admirable and possess great potential”
后生可畏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Young people are admirable and possess great potential”. They often have the ability to surpass their predecessors or elders, hence they are to be respected. Literally, “Youngsters are to be revered”.
后生可畏 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 后hòu
- 生shēng
- 可kě
- 畏wèi
后生可畏 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 后生可畏
Origin and Story of 后生可畏
Originating from 'The Analects of Confucius, Zihan chapter', the idiom '后生可畏' praises young people who are intelligent, diligent, and have a promising future.
The story goes that Confucius, during his travels, encountered three children. Two were playing, while one stood alone. Curious, Confucius asked the standing child why he wasn't joining the others.
The child earnestly replied, 'Violent brawling can be life-threatening, and even playful pulling can cause bodily harm. Furthermore, tearing clothes offers no benefit. That's why I prefer not to play with them. What's so strange about that?'
A little while later, the child built a castle out of mud and sat inside it, not coming out for a long time, nor moving to let Confucius's carriage pass. Confucius couldn't help but ask again, 'You're sitting inside, why don't you make way for the carriage?'
The child responded, 'I've only heard that carriages should go around a city, never that a city should move for a carriage!'
Confucius was greatly astonished, finding it remarkable that such a young child could speak so eloquently. He praised him, saying, 'You are so young, yet you understand so much!'
The child, however, retorted, 'I've heard that fish can swim three days after birth, rabbits can run in the fields three days after birth, and horses can follow their mothers three days after birth. These are all natural occurrences; what does age have to do with it?'
Confucius then couldn't help but exclaim, 'Ah, I now realize how truly remarkable young people are!'
Idioms Related to 后生可畏
Synonyms of 后生可畏
More idioms starting with 后
- hòu后bù不wéi为lì例not to be taken as a precedent
- hòu后bù不jiàn僭xiān先Latercomers do not overstep earlier ones
- hòu后yǎng仰qián前hé合rock back and forth with laughter
- hòu后huì会kě可qī期We can expect to meet again
- hòu后huì会wú无qī期parting ways with no definite date
- hòu后huì会yǒu有qī期We'll meet again
- hòu后huì会nán难qī期Uncertain when we will meet again
- hòu后fā发zhì制rén人counterattack after opponent's move
- hòu后tái台lǎo老bǎn板real power behind the scenes
- hòu后hé合qián前yǎng仰rocking with laughter
- hòu后shí实xiān先shēng声intimidate first, act later
- hòu后xiàng巷qián前jiē街the entire neighborhood and its residents
Questions about 后生可畏
- What does 后生可畏 mean?
- 后生可畏 (hòu shēng kě wèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Young people are admirable and possess great potential”.
- How do you pronounce 后生可畏?
- 后生可畏 is pronounced hòu shēng kě wèi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 后生可畏 literally mean?
- Literally, 后生可畏 means “Youngsters are to be revered”. It is used to mean “Young people are admirable and possess great potential”.
- Where does 后生可畏 come from?
- 后生可畏 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 后生可畏?
- 后生：年轻人，后辈；畏：敬畏。年轻人是可敬畏的。形容青年人能超过前辈。