<p>学海无涯，唯勤是岸。(“Knowledge is infinite like a boundless ocean; only through diligence in studies can one make accomplishments”).</p>
<p>Xué Hǎi Wú Yá, Wéi Qín Shì Àn.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%AD%A6%E6%B5%B7%E6%97%A0%E6%B6%AF%EF%BC%8C%E5%94%AF%E5%8B%A4%E6%98%AF%E5%B2%B8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">学海无涯，唯勤是岸</a></p>
<p>Its English version should be &quot;Always study, never learned&quot;.
(Study is the activity of learning knowledge. You can learn a technology or a skill, but never learned all knowledge.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T03:58:46.543Z
Thank you @PdotWang, you gave a real 成语 that describes my challenge! Also you gave a 4x4 structure example 学海无涯，唯勤是岸
Nate Anderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T02:17:35.383Z
2023-05-04T02:26:19.673Z
2023-05-04T02:26:19.673Z
PdotWang
<p>If you prefer the 4 x 4 structure, how about,</p>
<p>长年苦读, 一知半解</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T04:00:10.830Z
Thank you @WayneCheah, I do prefer the 4x4 structure! (it seems like a common structure to make something more memorable/poetic, would you agree?) 长年苦读, 一知半解
Nate Anderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T05:09:42.747Z
To make the 4x4 structure work "poetically", the last word of the two halves should have "opposing" tones, meaning if the last word of the 1st half is on the up-tone, the last word of the second half should be a down-tone, and vice versa. Hence, 长年苦读, 一知半解 would be "Cháng nián kǔ dú, Yī zhī bàn jiě". Now try testing it with your own attempts in the OP?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-17T00:22:49.603Z
Thanks for clarifying this rule, Love your suggestion for an exercise. I guess this 8-character idioms do what you said: the last word/character of each half should have "opposing" tones, is this another example? 谋事在人，成事在天 I'll check against my OP sometime to see if I can revise my own suggestions... Thanks,
Nate Anderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T02:51:17.127Z
2023-05-04T02:51:17.127Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>My two cents:</p>
<p>Always(总是/始终) studying(<strong>學</strong>習), never(<strong>不</strong>曾) learning(學<strong>识</strong>) - <strong>总是/始终&quot;學而不识&quot;</strong>.</p>
<p>Forever(永远) studying(學習), never(从不) mastering(精通) - <strong>永远學習从不精通</strong> or <strong>永远&quot;學而不精/通&quot;</strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T04:05:48.250Z
Thank you @r13, I appreciate your answer because you really tried to capture my English word choices, "Always ... never ...", I think my phrase is an example of ["antithesis"](https://literarydevices.net/antithesis/)/ my "parallel" phrasing... but maybe I should ask English Stack Exchange if I successfully used "antithesis" / "parallelism" :)
Nate Anderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T11:02:23.013Z
My English wasn't good enough to make a comment on your response, but, I would say "Always....but (never)..." instead.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-03T18:36:20.860Z
2023-05-03T18:36:20.860Z
r13
<blockquote>
<p>How to translate &quot;Always studying, never learning&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>學 = to learn/ to study</p>
</li>
<li><p>识 = to understand/ to know</p>
</li>
<li><p>学识 = learn to understand(v)/ knowledge(n)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Study but never learn = 学而不识 (study but not understand/ not gaining knowledge from your study)</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>有学无识 (have the studying but no understanding)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-04T04:01:59.657Z
Thank you TangHo, since you taught me to use "而", and  taught me how to use "识" to describe "gaining knowledge" (a word @r13 also used ), I gave you accepted answer.
Nate Anderson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-03T17:54:24.377Z
2023-05-03T18:03:51.353Z
2023-05-03T18:03:51.353Z
Tang Ho
<p>My friend observed that I like to study Mandarin.
It's true, I have been studying for many years, but I'm not very good...</p>
<p>So I want to be modest and say something like this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Always studying, never learning</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In other words, I have been (and will always be) <strong>trying to learn</strong> Chinese/Mandarin, but I will never <strong>master it</strong>! It also describes the frustrating feeling of re-reading a sentence in a textbook many times, but not understanding!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Forever studying, never mastering</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm trying to translate this English sentence into Mandarin. Can you grade my translations below?
You see I'm also trying to use some &quot;prosody&quot;/成语 structure... maybe there is an existing 成语 to capture this idea?</p>
<p>Here are some of my attempts:</p>
<ul>
<li>一直学习 从不学到</li>
<li>总是学习 从不学会</li>
<li>一直学习 从不精通</li>
<li>会习中文 不会掌握</li>
<li>读中文 从不懂</li>
</ul>
<p>Here is the research I did</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/12680/learn-vs-study">SE &quot;Learn&quot; vs &quot;Study&quot;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/743/whats-the-difference-between-%E5%AD%A6-and-%E5%AD%A6%E4%B9%A0">SE 学 vs 学习</a>
<ul>
<li>and <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/1244/6139">this answer</a> discusses the -会 or -到 pattern to imply I finished studying, so now I learned it! (学会? 学到?)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="https://hinative.com/questions/6595317" rel="nofollow noreferrer">HINative 总是 vs 永远 vs 一直</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hinative.com/questions/3657564" rel="nofollow noreferrer">another similar question</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="https://hinative.com/questions/5959091" rel="nofollow noreferrer">HINative 精通 vs 掌握</a></li>
</ul>

<translation><grammar><chengyu>
How to translate "Always studying, never learning" (study vs learned, read vs understand, always vs forever vs never, mastery vs proficiency)
# How to translate "Always studying, never learning" (study vs learned, read vs understand, always vs forever vs never, mastery vs proficiency)

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-05-03)

My friend observed that I like to study Mandarin.
It's true, I have been studying for many years, but I'm not very good...

So I want to be modest and say something like this:

> Always studying, never learning

In other words, I have been (and will always be) **trying to learn** Chinese/Mandarin, but I will never **master it**! It also describes the frustrating feeling of re-reading a sentence in a textbook many times, but not understanding!

> Forever studying, never mastering

I'm trying to translate this English sentence into Mandarin. Can you grade my translations below?
You see I'm also trying to use some "prosody"/成语 structure... maybe there is an existing 成语 to capture this idea?

Here are some of my attempts:

* 一直学习 从不学到
* 总是学习 从不学会
* 一直学习 从不精通
* 会习中文 不会掌握
* 读中文 从不懂

Here is the research I did

* [SE "Learn" vs "Study"](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/12680/learn-vs-study)
* [SE 学 vs 学习](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/743/whats-the-difference-between-%E5%AD%A6-and-%E5%AD%A6%E4%B9%A0)
  + and [this answer](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/1244/6139) discusses the -会 or -到 pattern to imply I finished studying, so now I learned it! (学会? 学到?)
* [HINative 总是 vs 永远 vs 一直](https://hinative.com/questions/6595317)
  + [another similar question](https://hinative.com/questions/3657564)
* [HINative 精通 vs 掌握](https://hinative.com/questions/5959091)

**Tags:** translation, grammar, chengyu


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-05-03. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

> How to translate "Always studying, never learning"

* 學 = to learn/ to study
* 识 = to understand/ to know
* 学识 = learn to understand(v)/ knowledge(n)

Study but never learn = 学而不识 (study but not understand/ not gaining knowledge from your study)

or

有学无识 (have the studying but no understanding)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you username_4, since you taught me to use "而", and  taught me how to use "识" to describe "gaining knowledge" (a word @username_3 also used ), I gave you accepted answer.  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-05-04. Score: 2

学海无涯，唯勤是岸。(“Knowledge is infinite like a boundless ocean; only through diligence in studies can one make accomplishments”).

Xué Hǎi Wú Yá, Wéi Qín Shì Àn.

[学海无涯，唯勤是岸](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%AD%A6%E6%B5%B7%E6%97%A0%E6%B6%AF%EF%BC%8C%E5%94%AF%E5%8B%A4%E6%98%AF%E5%B2%B8)

Its English version should be "Always study, never learned".
(Study is the activity of learning knowledge. You can learn a technology or a skill, but never learned all knowledge.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you @username_1, you gave a real 成语 that describes my challenge! Also you gave a 4x4 structure example 学海无涯，唯勤是岸  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-05-04. Score: 1

If you prefer the 4 x 4 structure, how about,

长年苦读, 一知半解

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you @username_2, I do prefer the 4x4 structure! (it seems like a common structure to make something more memorable/poetic, would you agree?) 长年苦读, 一知半解  
> **username_2**: To make the 4x4 structure work "poetically", the last word of the two halves should have "opposing" tones, meaning if the last word of the 1st half is on the up-tone, the last word of the second half should be a down-tone, and vice versa. Hence, 长年苦读, 一知半解 would be "Cháng nián kǔ dú, Yī zhī bàn jiě". Now try testing it with your own attempts in the OP?  
> **username_0**: Thanks for clarifying this rule, Love your suggestion for an exercise. I guess this 8-character idioms do what you said: the last word/character of each half should have "opposing" tones, is this another example? 谋事在人，成事在天 I'll check against my OP sometime to see if I can revise my own suggestions... Thanks,  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2023-05-03. Score: 1

My two cents:

Always(总是/始终) studying(**學**習), never(**不**曾) learning(學**识**) - **总是/始终"學而不识"**.

Forever(永远) studying(學習), never(从不) mastering(精通) - **永远學習从不精通** or **永远"學而不精/通"**.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you @username_3, I appreciate your answer because you really tried to capture my English word choices, "Always ... never ...", I think my phrase is an example of ["antithesis"](https://literarydevices.net/antithesis/)/ my "parallel" phrasing... but maybe I should ask English Stack Exchange if I successfully used "antithesis" / "parallelism" :)  
> **username_3**: My English wasn't good enough to make a comment on your response, but, I would say "Always....but (never)..." instead.  

---

