Failure is the mother of success.

Some argue that the saying "Failure is the mother of success" is a translation from French, for example, Nguyen Khac Lieu wrote: "Failure is the mother of success (French)" - quoted from Proverbs and Wise Sayings (Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House 1999, p. 12).

Indeed, there is a French saying, "L'échec est la mère du succès" (Failure is the mother of success), however, this is also a translation. The same applies to the Vietnamese version, both originating from the Chinese proverb: " Failure is the mother of success " (失敗為成功之母). Analysis reveals:

The word "failure " (失敗) means "defeat, failure," and originates from Li Wei Gong's "Wen Dui," a collection of observations on military matters compiled by Li Jing during the Sui-Tang dynasties.

Vi (為) means "to be".

Success (成功) means "victory, completing a task well," a compound word originating from the phrase "Wu Tixuan. Kui Gao Jue Cheng Gong" in the section on Wu Gong ( Book of Documents ).

Chi (之) means "of, belonging to".

Mẫu (母) means "mother, female elder," an ancient character found on oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty.

In short, the saying " Failure is the mother of success " means "Failure is the mother of success." However, "mother " here doesn't refer to a mother in the conventional sense; this word should be understood figuratively as "foundation, basis," or "leader." This saying refers to those who learn from failure in order to achieve success.

According to researchers, the proverb " Failure is the mother of success " originates from the famous Chinese legend of "Da Yu controlling the floods" (Da Yu Zhi Shui/大禹治水). Da Yu was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor (the first ancient emperor of China).

During the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Yellow River was flooded. Gun and his son Yu (Da Yu) were ordered by the imperial court to control the flood. Gun repeatedly failed in controlling the flood. Learning from these failures, Yu led the people in fighting the flood for 13 years, and finally succeeded.

Thus, the origin of the saying "Failure is the mother of success" refers to flood control, corresponding to the English phrase " Failure is the mother of success ," however, this phrase is not common in English-speaking communities. British and American speakers often use similar phrases such as: "Failure is the stepping stone to success"; " Learning from failure paves the way for success"; "Success is built on the lessons learned from failure." However, the most common phrase in English is "Failure leads to success."

The Japanese have a similar saying to China and Vietnam: 失敗は成功の母 (shippai wa seikō no haha), literally meaning "Failure is the mother of success." Additionally, they have the saying 失敗は成功の元 (shippai wa seikō no moto): "Failure is the foundation of success," taken from the essay collection "Blue Eyebrows" ( Qīng méi chāo , 1943) by the renowned female painter Uemura Shōen (1875-1949).

To conclude this article, I would like to borrow the words of journalist Arianna Huffington: "Failure is not the opposite of success, failure is a part of success" (L'échec n'est pas le contraire de la réussite, l'échec fait partie de la réussite).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lat-leo-chu-nghia-that-bai-la-me-thanh-cong-185241213221747267.htm