DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有

简千里马常有，而伯乐不常有 · 繁千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有

Mandarin · pinyin qiān lǐ mǎ cháng yǒu , ér Bó lè bù cháng yǒu

(lit.) there are many swift horses, but very few who can spot them (proverb)
(fig.) many have talent, but few can recognize talent when they see it

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

千: qiān · thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
里: lǐ · unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166
馬: Look up this written character
常: cháng · common, normal, frequent, regular
有: yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
伯: bó · older brother; father's elder brother; senior male 'sire'; feudal rank 'count'
樂: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
马: mǎ · horse; surname; Kangxi radical 187
乐: lè · happy, glad; enjoyable; music

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Connected dictionary

11character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有 · find source passages ↗ · 千里马常有，而伯乐不常有 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗