過則勿憚改

Chinese

		to cross; to go over; (experienced action marker) to cross; to go over; (experienced action marker); to pass; to celebrate; to live; to get along; excessively; too-	(expresses contrast with a previous sentence or clause); standard; norm (expresses contrast with a previous sentence or clause); standard; norm; rule; to imitate; to follow; then; principle	do not	dread; fear; dislike	to change; to alter; to transform to change; to alter; to transform; to correct
trad. (過則勿憚改)		過	則	勿	憚	改
simp. (过则勿惮改)		过	则	勿	惮	改

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 1 (《論語·學而》):

子曰：「君子不重則不威，學則不固。主忠信，無友不如己者，過則勿憚改。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

子曰：「君子不重则不威，学则不固。主忠信，无友不如己者，过则勿惮改。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐ yuē: “Jūnzǐ bù zhòng zé bù wēi, xué zé bù gù. Zhǔ zhōngxìn, wú yǒu bùrú jǐ zhě, guò zé wù dàn gǎi.” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "If the scholar be not grave, he will not call forth any veneration, and his learning will not be solid. Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guòzéwùdàngǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄨˋ ㄉㄢˋ ㄍㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gwo³ zak¹ mat⁶ daan⁶ goi²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guòzéwùdàngǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄗㄜˊ ㄨˋ ㄉㄢˋ ㄍㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guòzéwùdàngǎi
    • Wade–Giles: kuo⁴-tsê²-wu⁴-tan⁴-kai³
    • Yale: gwò-dzé-wù-dàn-gǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guohtzerwuhdanngae
    • Palladius: гоцзэуданьгай (goczɛudanʹgaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯ɔ⁵¹ t͡sɤ³⁵ u⁵¹⁻⁵³ tän⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gwo³ zak¹ mat⁶ daan⁶ goi²
    • Yale: gwo jāk maht daahn gói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gwo³ dzak⁷ mat⁹ daan⁶ goi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: guo³ zeg¹ med⁶ dan⁶ goi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷɔː³³ t͡sɐk̚⁵ mɐt̚² taːn²² kɔːi̯³⁵/

Idiom

過則勿憚改

1. do not fear correcting one's mistakes when they have been made

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (過則勿憚改):

• → Korean: 과즉물탄개(過則勿憚改) (gwajeungmultan'gae)
• → Vietnamese: quá tắc vật đạn cải (過則勿憚改)

Others:

• → Japanese: 過(あやま)ちては則(すなわ)ち改(あらた)むるに憚(はばか)ること勿(なか)れ (ayamachite wa sunawachi aratamuru ni habakaru koto nakare) (calque)