海纳百川

hǎi nà bǎi chuān

broad enough to embrace everything

Character by character

海hǎi
the sea

纳nà
takes in

百bǎi
a hundred

川chuān
rivers

唐朝文化海纳百川，吸收了各国的长处。

Tang culture was broad enough to take in everything and absorbed the strengths of many lands.

Tone: positive (praise).

Often followed by 有容乃大: it is great because it can contain.

Learn this in Lesson 77 · HSK 6–7: 丝绸之路与唐朝 (The Silk Road and the Tang)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.