歧路亡羊
歧路亡羊 (qí lù wáng yáng) literally means “the sheep lost among the forking roads” and expresses “too many choices lead nowhere”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.
Also searched as: qi lu wang yang, qi lu wang yang,歧路亡羊 meaning, 歧路亡羊 in english
Too many choices lead nowhere
Pronunciation: qí lù wáng yáng Literal meaning: The sheep lost among the forking roads
Origin & Usage
In 《列子·说符》 a neighbour of Yang Zhu loses a sheep and sets out with a crowd to find it. They return empty-handed: the road forked, and forked again, and beyond each fork lay more forks than they could follow. Yang Zhu falls silent for the rest of the day. The story is not about a sheep. It is about how a search dissolves when the paths multiply faster than attention can divide, and it is one of the sharpest things classical Chinese thought has to say about scattered effort — an argument that too many directions is functionally the same as no direction at all.
Examples
English: "With six competing strategies on the table, the team lost the thing it was chasing."
Chinese: 方向太多，反而歧路亡羊。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
融会贯通
róng huì guàn tōng
Master something completely
Learn more →
学海无涯
xué hǎi wú yá
Learning is limitless
Learn more →
知行合一
zhī xíng hé yī
Practice what you know
Learn more →
举一反三
jǔ yī fǎn sān
Learn many from one example
Learn more →
温故知新
wēn gù zhī xīn
Learn new through studying old
Learn more →
画龙点睛
huà lóng diǎn jīng
Add crucial finishing touch
Learn more →
读万卷书
dú wàn juǎn shū
Read extensively for knowledge
Learn more →
抛砖引玉
pāo zhuān yǐn yù
Offer modest view to inspire better
Learn more →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 歧路亡羊 mean in English?
歧路亡羊 (qí lù wáng yáng) literally translates to “The sheep lost among the forking roads” and is used to express “Too many choices lead nowhere”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 歧路亡羊 used?
Situation: With six competing strategies on the table, the team lost the thing it was chasing.
What is the pinyin for 歧路亡羊?
The pinyin pronunciation for 歧路亡羊 is “qí lù wáng yáng”.
Curated Lists Featuring 歧路亡羊
Year of the Goat 2027: 12 Chinese Idioms and Lucky Greetings — 三阳开泰!
The Year of the Goat begins 6 February 2027. These 12 idioms cover what to actually write in a red envelope — and why the luckiest Goat-year phrases never mention a goat at all.
12 Chinese Goat and Sheep Idioms (羊) — What the Sheep Symbolizes in China
The sheep is hidden inside the Chinese words for beauty, goodness, righteousness and good fortune. Twelve 羊 idioms, what each one means, and why Chinese treats this animal as the root of value itself.