qīng青bluechū出come outyú于fromlán蓝indigo
The student surpasses the teacher; the younger generation excels the older.
Literal meaning
blue (青) — come out (出) — from (于) — indigo (蓝)
Origin
From Xunzi's *Exhortation to Learning* (劝学). Indigo dye is extracted from the indigo plant, but the dye is bluer than the plant it comes from.
Examples
Tā他de的xué学shēng生qīng青chū出yú于lán蓝，bǐ比tā他gèng更yǒu有chéng成jiù就。
His student surpassed him and achieved even greater success.
Wǒ我men们xī希wàng望xià下yī一dài代néng能qīng青chū出yú于lán蓝，chāo超yuè越wǒ我men们。
We hope that the next generation can surpass us.
Usage & nuances
Positive connotation; expresses hope for future generations.
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