師父領進門，修行在個人 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

師 shī teacher, master, specialist; multitude, troops
父 fu
HSK 4
father; KangXi radical 88
領 lǐng neck; collar; lead, guide
進 jìn advance, make progress, enter
門 mén 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
個 gè numerary adjunct, piece; single
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else