山外有山 人外有人 The meaning varies based on context and is difficult to fully translate, but loosely its along the lines of: theres always someone better or theres always more to be seen/learned [1] The first part [literally: beyond mountain/mountains there is/are mountain/mountains] suggests that no matter what youve witnessed or achieved, there is more and better to be seen and experienced. Outside of this mountain that youve marveled at or climbed, theres a taller one waiting for you somewhere... The second part [literally: beyond men/man there is/are men/man] extends the first part into an analogy/metaphor for humanity. No matter how great one is or how high one rises, theres always someone greater. No matter how smart/wise/successful/etc. you believe your mentor/teacher/self/etc. to be, theres someone out there who is many levels better. Taken together, the two sentences lead to the following implications: - no matter how talented you are and/or how hard you work, theres always room for improvement; - the better you become at something, the higher your standards become such that very often even though your skill has improved on an absolute basis, your perception of how good you are relative to others (or to your goal) has actually gone down; and - often, the reward for solving the challenge currently in front of you is another, more difficult challenge.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 14:02:03 +0000
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