盡人事,聽天命

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Chinese

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to do what one can; to do all that is humanly possible
trad. (盡人事,聽天命) 盡人事 聽天命
simp. (尽人事,听天命) 尽人事 听天命

Etymology

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From Flowers in the Mirror (鏡花緣) by 李汝珍 (Li Ruzhen):

元女:「仙姑小不忍則亂大謀』?:『人事天命。』仙姑不能人事以致如此天命?」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
元女:「仙姑小不忍则乱大谋』?:『人事天命。』仙姑不能人事以致如此天命?」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
From: 李汝珍, 鏡花緣
Yuánnǚ dào: “Xiāngū qǐ bù wén ‘xiǎobùrěnzéluàndàmóu’? Yòu yàn yún: ‘Jìn rénshìtīng tiānmìng.’ Jīn xiāngū jì bùnéng rěn, yòu rénshì wèi jìn, yǐzhì rúcǐ, hé néng yán dé tiānmìng?” [Pinyin]
Xuannü said: "Haven't you heard that 'lack of forbearance in small matters upsets great plans'? And there is also an idiom saying 'man proposes, God disposes'. But you neither forbear, nor propose. That being so, how can you say that's what God disposes?"

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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盡人事,聽天命

  1. to do one's level best and leave the rest to God's will; man proposes, God disposes

Synonyms

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Descendants

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  • Japanese: 人事を尽くして天命を待つ (jinji o tsukushite tenmei o matsu) (partial calque)