kiến hiền tư tề diên, kiến bất hiền nhi nội tự tỉnh
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Meet the worthy and measure up; meet the unworthy and audit yourself — every encounter is a mirror.
Literally: see the virtuous, think to equal; see the unvirtuous, self-examine
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “kiến hiền tư tề diên, kiến bất hiền nhi nội tự tỉnh” mean?
Meet the worthy and measure up; meet the unworthy and audit yourself — every encounter is a mirror. Literally: see the virtuous, think to equal; see the unvirtuous, self-examine
Is “kiến hiền tư tề diên, kiến bất hiền nhi nội tự tỉnh” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.