Translation of Proverb - shoot for the stars

[bijian]

If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.

-Confucius

Thanks.

Edited September 30, 2009 at 11:53 AM by bijian
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[imron]

I'm pretty sure that wasn't Confucius. Confucius was more: "Everyone has their place in society. Make sure you know your place and fulfill your role." (paraphrased of course, but that was a pretty overriding Confucian principle).

[leeyah]

Nice proverb, I like it, only I don't think it's Chinese. But I'm no expert, so...

Does remind me of 步月登云 bù yuè dēng yún though, I mean the message. But it's Ming dynasty proverb, nothing to do with good old Kongzi.

步月登云 means To Climb the Moon and Ride on the Clouds, refers to one's high aspirations, as in your shooting for the stars and hitting the moon, except that there's no mention of "shooting" or "hitting"

(BTW, is your proverb actually saying this is bad? or just tolerable? the keep on trying sort of thing?)

It does also sound a bit like something a newbie 中国迷 would come up with ...

[fengyixiao]

射者，仁之道也。射求正诸己，己正而后发。发而不中，则不怨胜己者，反求诸己而已矣。孔子曰，君子无所争，必也射乎。揖让而升，下而饮，其争也君子。

　　——《礼记·射义》

I search the proverb,but the meaning isn't totally as same as the english version.

[leeyah]

I search the proverb,but the meaning isn't totally as same as the english version.

No, fengyixiao, you got it right.

Phrases like this are very hard to translate with 100% accuracy, but you still managed to find the proverb. Bravo!

:clap

[leeyah]

& in addition, here's an explanation of the above quote from 《射礼 》in simple Putonghua, source: 百度贴吧

儒家提倡修身、齐家、治国、平天下，修身是第一位的。人生不会一帆风顺，如何面对待失败，培养起百折不回的毅力，从失败走向成功，可以从射礼中得到体悟。《射义》说："射求正诸己，己正然后发，发而不中，则不怨胜己者，反求诸己而已矣。"射箭的成败，关键在于能否调整好自己的体态和心志。发而不中中，根本原因在于自身，不要怨天尤人，尤其不要埋怨射中者，而是要"反而求诸己"，反躬自问。

[bijian]

谢谢大家

我问你们了因为我想告诉一个朋友。她一考GRE就很不高兴因为虽然数学考得最好不但她英文考得不怎么样（大概普通得。）她在美国住了三年，所以我觉得她进步得很大，可是自己她自己跟我不同意。

:clap

[gato]

Translation by James Legge.

http://chinese.dsturgeon.net/text.pl?node=10428&if=en&remap=gb

"Sacred Books of the East, volume 28, part 4: The Li Ki", James Legge, 1885

11 射义: 射者，仁之道也。射求正诸己，己正然后发，发而不中，则不怨胜己者，反求诸己而已矣。孔子曰：“君子无所争，必也射乎！揖让而升，下而饮，其争也君子。”

She Yi: Archery suggests to us the way of benevolence. (The archer) seeks to be correct in himself, and then discharges his arrow. If it miss the mark, he is not angry with the one who has surpassed himself, but turns round and seeks (for the cause of failure) in himself. Confucius said, 'The student of virtue has no contentions. If it be said that he cannot avoid them, shall this be in archery? (But) he bows complaisantly to his competitor, ascends (the hall), descends (again), and exacts the forfeit of drinking. In his contention, he is still the superior man.'