虛心使人進步，驕傲使人落後 xū xīn shǐ rén jìn bù ， jiāo ào shǐ rén luò hòu

DEFINITIONS

  1. Modesty leads to progress, arrogance makes you drop behind (favorite slogan of Mao Zedong)

CHARACTERS

虛 xū false, worthless; empty, hollow
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul
使 shǐ
HSK 4
cause, send on a mission, order; envoy, messenger, ambassador
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
進 jìn advance, make progress, enter
步 bù
HSK 2
step, pace; walk, stroll
驕 jiāo spirited horse; haughty
傲 ào
HSK 4
proud, haughty, overbearing
使 shǐ
HSK 4
cause, send on a mission, order; envoy, messenger, ambassador
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
落 luò
HSK 4
fall, drop; net income, surplus
後 hòu behind, rear, after; descendents