不耻下问
bù chǐ xià wèn · HSK 7
not feel ashamed to ask and learn from one's subordinates
🙋♂️ not + ashamed + below + ask = unashamed to ask those below you
不 (not) + 耻 (shame) + 下 (below/subordinate) + 问 (ask). A noble person sets ego aside and asks anyone who knows, regardless of rank. The virtue is in dropping status barriers to learn.
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
问 — gate 门 (phonetic) + mouth 口 (semantic)
问 is a phono-semantic compound. The 口 (mouth) on the inside gives the meaning—using the mouth to ask—while 门 (gate/door) supplies the sound, close to 'mén/wèn'. The traditional form 問 places 口 inside 門, vividly suggesting speaking through a doorway to inquire.