海纳百川，有容乃大 — "The ocean takes in all rivers; tolerance makes one great." | Chinese Proverb Explained
From Chinese saying · 名联: "The ocean takes in all rivers; tolerance makes one great."
What it means
"The ocean takes in all rivers; tolerance makes one great." This timeless Chinese saying has guided readers for over two millennia.
Where it comes from
Chinese saying · 名联. The original text is classical Chinese; this is a faithful modern English rendering.
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Character by character
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海 | hǎi | sea, ocean; maritime | 10 |
| 纳 | nà | admit, take, receive, accept | 7 |
| 百 | bǎi | one hundred; numerous, many | 6 |
| 川 | chuān | stream, river; flow; boil | 3 |
| 有 | yǒu | have, own, possess; exist | 6 |
| 容 | róng | looks, appearance; figure, form | 10 |
| 乃 | nǎi | then; really, indeed; as it turned out, after all; namely | 2 |
| 大 | dà | big, great, vast, large, high | 3 |
Character data: Unihan (Unicode).
Reading it in context
This line comes from Chinese saying · 名联. Classical Chinese is compact: each character carries meaning, and the sense of the sentence depends on how they are read together. The usual translation is: “The ocean takes in all rivers; tolerance makes one great.”. Because the grammar is compressed, translations differ — which is also why a literal character-by-character reading can go wrong.
Using this saying
This is an 8-character line from Chinese saying · 名联, which is short enough to keep as one unit but long enough that it needs a considered layout. Set it as a single line or two balanced rows rather than breaking it wherever it fits. Keep the whole line together: a fragment can change the meaning, and the source is part of the value. If you adapt it for a design or inscription, have the exact wording checked by a native reader.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean?
The ocean takes in all rivers; tolerance makes one great.
Where does it come from?
It is recorded in Chinese saying · 名联.
Can I use just part of the line?
It is safer to use the whole phrase. Classical lines are often quoted in full because the meaning depends on the whole construction.
Is the translation exact?
No short translation is exact. Classical Chinese compresses grammar, so translations vary — check with a native reader if the wording matters.
Why we can say that: how we verify our characters