who said: 學海無涯 唯勤是岸

[82riceballs]

On the first day of Chinese class, my Chinese teacher wrote the following idiom on the board:

學海無涯 唯勤是岸

Who said this?

I looked online. Some places say that this is Confucius' saying and others just say that this is a phrase.

Help!

[skylee]

It is a common saying but I don't know its origin. I guess it might have something to do with Zhuangzi's teaching : "吾生也有涯，而知也無涯。以有涯隨無涯，殆已！" (YOUR LIFE HAS A LIMIT but knowledge has none. If you use what is limited to pursue what has no limit, you will be in danger.)

[Hanyu'sWay]

There is also the saying : "苦海无边，回头是岸“。

http://baike.baidu.com/view/137382.htm

[leeyah]

The phrase undoubtedly originated as a mix of two or more phrases ans is now labeled as 俗云, popular saying

I found the explanation and origin of one, namely the 学海无涯 @:http://www.zdic.net/cy/ch/ZdicE5ZdicADZdicA625109.htm

【成语】:学海无涯 【拼音】:xué hǎi wú yá 【解释】:学海：知识。学问的海洋无边无际。

【出处】:明·张岱《小序》：“学海无边，书囊无底。世间书怎读得尽。” by Ming Zhangdai

I'm not sure if it's got anything to do with Confucious but as Skylee said it might have with Zhuangzi or even Laozi(?): http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=451129620

老子曰：学海无涯而吾生有涯 以有涯搏无涯，不可也故不如偷得浮生半日闲，一晌贪欢 (老子却认为人生有限，学海无涯，不应当将有限的时间放在无休止的学习上) (human life has a limit, but learning has none; time which is limited and learning which has no limit cannot be put together)

Confucius said: 孔子曰：学而时习之，不亦说乎 (it is a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned) * For full-text Lunyu in Fantizi 查看 http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/langc.htm

There are also: 书山有路勤为径，学海无涯苦作舟 by韩愈 and anonymous 俗云 : 生也有涯，而知也無涯 & 人生有限，学问无涯生 from Zhuangzi's 吾生也有涯...

for more 俗云 check this one out, it's good: 成语大全 http://union.itlearner.com/chengyu/search2.asp?q1=%D1%A7

[skylee]

【出处】:明·张岱《小序》：“学海无边，书囊无底。世间书怎读得尽。”

书山有路勤为径，学海无涯苦作舟 by韩愈

If the saying was from Ming Dynasty, how could Han Yu of Tang Dynasty include it in his writing?

[Hanyu'sWay]

If the saying was from Ming Dynasty, how could Han Yu of Tang Dynasty include it in his writing?

全唐诗 与 韩愈全集 均不录，想是托伪之作。