师父领进门，修行在个人 shī fu lǐng jìn mén ， xiū xíng zài gè rén

DEFINITIONS

  1. the master leads you to the door, the rest is up to you
  2. you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink

CHARACTERS

师 shī
HSK 1
teacher, master, specialist
父 fu
HSK 4
father; KangXi radical 88
领 lǐng
HSK 5
neck; collar; lead, guide
进 jìn
HSK 2
advance, make progress, enter
门 mén
HSK 2
gate, door, entrance, opening
修 xiū
HSK 4
study; repair; cultivate
行 xíng
HSK 3
go; walk; move, travel; circulate
在 zài
HSK 1
be at, in, on; consist in, rest
个 gè
HSK 1
numerary adjunct, piece; single
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else