而伯乐不常有

而伯樂不常有

ér Bólè bù cháng yǒu

quotation

Meanings

1 but a Bole (judge of horses) is not often found
2 fine horses are common, but recognizers of talent are rare
3 Han Yu's epigram on why genius goes unnoticed

Characters

to have / exist

Examples

HSK 5

千里马常有，而伯乐不常有，人才缺的是伯乐。

Qiānlǐmǎ chángyǒu, ér Bólè bù cháng yǒu, réncái quē de shì Bólè.

Swift steeds are always around, but a Bole is rare - what talent lacks is a Bole to spot it.

HSK 7-9

这家公司的招聘总监真是伯乐，而伯乐不常有。

Zhè jiā gōngsī de zhāopìn zǒngjiān zhēnshì Bólè, ér Bólè bù cháng yǒu.

The head recruiter at this company is a true Bole - and a Bole is not often found.

Tips

history

From the Tang writer Han Yu's 《杂说四·马说》: 世有伯乐，然后有千里马。千里马常有，而伯乐不常有 ('There must first be a Bole, and only then a thousand-li horse. Thousand-li horses are common, but a Bole is rare'). 伯乐 was the style-name of 孙阳, a famed horse-judge in the time of Duke Mu of Qin; Han Yu uses the image to lament how talent goes unrecognized.

usage

Must be used with the preceding line 千里马常有 to be complete. Here 伯 is read Bó (a name), not bǎi, and 乐 is read lè, not yuè.

Stroke Order

而 ér

伯 bó

乐 lè

不 bù

常 cháng

有 yǒu