青出於藍而勝於藍 qīng chū yú lán ér shèng yú lán

the student surpasses the master

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. the color blue is made out of indigo but is more vivid than indigo (idiom)
  2. 2. fig. the student surpasses the master

Characters

Character Meaning
青 qīng HSK 5
green; blue; young (of people)
出 chū HSK 1
to go out; to come out
於 yú
at; in; to
藍 lán
blue; surname Lan; indigo plant
而 ér HSK 3
and; but (not); (indicates contrast)
勝 shèng
victory; victorious; to defeat
於 yú
at; in; to
藍 lán
blue; surname Lan; indigo plant