学海无涯

Pronunciation: xué hǎi wú yá Literal meaning: Ocean of learning has no shores

Origin & Usage

This is from the second half of a well-known couplet, 书山有路勤为径，学海无涯苦作舟 — the mountain of books has a path, and diligence is that path; the sea (海) of learning (学) has no shore (无涯), and hard work is the boat. It is popularly attributed to the Tang essayist Han Yu, though the attribution is traditional rather than documented. The point is not that learning is hopeless but that it has no natural stopping place, so the only way across is to keep working. Modern usage encourages sustained study rather than the expectation of ever being finished.

Examples

English: "Even at 80, she continues to learn new things every day"

Chinese: 即使八十岁了，她每天仍在学习新东西