Chinese characters and pinyin
Simplified: 失败是成功之母
Traditional: 失敗是成功之母
Pinyin: shī bài shì chéng gōng zhī mǔ
Literal translation
Failure is the mother of success.
Natural English meaning
Failure can provide the experience needed for later success.
Closest English equivalent
Failure is the mother of success.
The established English translation is essentially identical.
When to use it
Use it when a failed attempt yields useful lessons.
When not to use it
Do not romanticize repeated failure without reflection or change.
Example sentence
实验虽然失败了，但我们找到了原因，失败是成功之母。
The experiment failed, but finding the cause brings us closer to success.
Origin and cultural context
A modern Chinese motivational maxim that became common in education and public life.
Classification: popular saying. This label distinguishes a complete proverb or popular saying from a compact idiom or a quotation preserved from a classical text.
