青出于蓝
qīng chū yú lán
the pupil surpasses the master
Character by character
青qīng
blue
blue
出chū
comes
comes
于yú
from
from
蓝lán
the indigo plant
the indigo plant
Example
学生的水平超过了老师，真是青出于蓝。
The student is now better than the teacher: the pupil has truly outshone the master.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From Xunzi's 'Exhortation to Learning': blue dye comes from the indigo plant yet is bluer; full form 青出于蓝而胜于蓝.
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