| 三个臭皮匠，赛过一个诸葛亮 |
sān gè chòu pí jiang , sài guò yī gè Zhū gě Liàng |
lit. three ignorant cobblers add up to a genius (idiom); fig. collective wisdom / wisdom of the masses exceeds that of any individual |
| 三 |
Sān |
surname San |
| 三 |
sān |
three / 3 |
| 个 |
gě |
used in 自个儿 |
| 个 |
gè |
(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier) / (bound form) individual |
| 个 |
gè |
variant of 个 |
| 臭 |
chòu |
stench / smelly / to smell (bad) / repulsive / loathsome / terrible / bad / severely / ruthlessly / dud (ammunition) |
| 臭 |
xiù |
sense of smell / smell bad |
| 皮 |
Pí |
surname Pi |
| 皮 |
pí |
skin; peel; rind; outer layer / leather; hide; fur / cover; wrapping; outer covering / (of food) no longer crisp; soggy / (coll.) naughty; mischievous / pico- (10⁻¹²) |
| 皮匠 |
pí jiang |
cobbler |
| 匠 |
jiàng |
craftsman |
| 赛 |
sài |
to compete / competition / match / to surpass / better than / superior to / to excel |
| 过 |
Guō |
surname Guo |
| 过 |
guò |
to cross / to go over / to pass (time) / to celebrate (a holiday) / to live / to get along / excessively / too- |
| 过 |
guo |
(experienced action marker) |
| 一 |
yī |
one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit |
| 一个 |
yī ge |
a; an; one / the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 个 |
gě |
used in 自个儿 |
| 个 |
gè |
(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier) / (bound form) individual |
| 个 |
gè |
variant of 个 |
| 诸 |
Zhū |
surname Zhu |
| 诸 |
zhū |
all / various |
| 诸葛 |
Zhū gě |
two-character surname Zhuge / Taiwan pr. [Zhu1ge2] |
| 诸葛亮 |
Zhū gě Liàng |
Zhuge Liang (181–234), military leader and prime minister of Shu Han 蜀汉 during the Three Kingdoms period / the main hero of the fictional Romance of Three Kingdoms 三国演义, where he is portrayed as a sage and military genius / (fig.) a mastermind |
| 葛 |
Gě |
surname Ge |
| 葛 |
gé |
kudzu (Pueraria lobata) / hemp cloth |
| 亮 |
liàng |
bright; light / to shine; to flash / loud and clear / to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc) |