📖 Meaning
A metaphor for using others' strengths to remedy one's own shortcomings, just as stones from another mountain can be used to polish and perfect jade. It encourages learning from external perspectives to correct one's own flaws and improve oneself.
📜 Origin Story
Originates from the ode 'He Ming' (鹤鸣, The Crane's Cry) in the 'Lesser Ya' (小雅) section of the Classic of Poetry (诗经), China's oldest surviving poetry anthology compiled during the Western Zhou dynasty. The original line reads '他山之石，可以为错' — 'Stones from other mountains may serve as a whetstone,' where 错 refers to a stone tool used for cutting and polishing jade. The image of using foreign stones to refine precious jade evolved into the condensed idiom 他山攻错, symbolizing the value of outside help and differing viewpoints in self-improvement.
💡 Example Usage
在学习上要善于他山攻错，吸取同学的长处来弥补自己的不足。
In studying, one should be good at drawing on others' strengths to make up for one's own weaknesses.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 他山攻错
- Pinyin: tā shān gōng cuò
- Literal Translation: other, mountain, work on, whetstone
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4