君子は器ならず

Japanese

Etymology

From Middle Chinese: 君子不器

Proverb

君子は器ならず (hiragana くんしはきならず, romaji kunshi wa ki narazu)

1. A gentleman is no specialist. That is, unlike a tool fashioned for a specific purpose, a gentleman is well-rounded, someone who has talents suited to any task.

References

• The Kōjien (広辞苑) Dictionary of the Japanese Language, 5th edition, Iwanami Shoten Publishing, Tokyo.