My top 10 Chinese Quotes on Education
4. 好记性不如烂笔头。(Hǎojìxìng bù rú lànbǐtóu. ‘good memory not-as-good-as rotten pen’) — A good memory cannot beat a bad pen.
Basic literacy is one of the great steps forward to civilization on par with fire. The moment humans learnt to read and write they managed to transfer knowledge over time and space. This was a quantum leap. The next one was the printing press. And who knows, the recent developments in AI might be the next one.
Chinese put emphasis on writing their extraordinarily complex characters and pressure their children to study them for years on end. A system as complex as the Chinese one will define your way of thinking and therefore also how people approach life. This might explain some of the differences we see between Eastern and Western cultures.
5. 活到老，学到老。(Huó dào lǎo, xué dào lǎo. ‘live till old, study till old.) — Live till you are old, and study till you are old.
Lifelong learning is being promoted in the West as well. One can only hope that enough people understand what it means.
Challenge your mind every day and stay active. That way you will enrich your life more than anything.
Science shows clearly that we need to use our brains if we want to slow the aging process and stay mentally healthy.
How dull would life be if we lost curiosity!
6. 好书如挚友。(Hǎoshū rú zhìyǒu. ‘good book as-good-as close-friend’) — A good book is like a good friend.
This saying reminds me of what Renaissance man Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote. He likened reading ancient literary masterpieces to a conversation with an old and wise friend.
Books open the chance to converse with the giants of old, give us the chance to learn from them and enjoy the company of the greatest of our civilization. What could be more beneficial?