Not a Dictionary · Sentence Card
人过 留名 ， 雁过 留声 。
As a person leaves a name behind after passing, a wild goose leaves a cry in its wake; actions leave a lasting legacy.
人过 rénguò "person passes" 🔊
留名 liúmíng "leave a name" 🔊
雁过 yànguò "goose passes" 🔊
留声 liúshēng "leave a sound" 🔊

A traditional Chinese proverb emphasizing that every individual leaves an enduring reputation or impact behind them, just like migrating geese leave a trace of their sound.

人过留名，雁过留声 (“A PERSON LEAVES A NAME, A GOOSE LEAVES A CRY”)

Human actions and character persist in memory long after we pass (人过留名 rén guò liú míng / leave a name), parallel to nature (雁过留声 yàn guò liú shēng / leave a sound).

Core Philosophy: Accountability, legacy, and the indelible mark one leaves on the world.

Parallel Clause Structure:
[Phrase 1: 人过留名] ， [Phrase 2: 雁过留声]

A balanced, symmetrical structure common in Chinese proverbs and folk sayings:

  • 人过 (rénguò) + 留名 (liúmíng) pairs a human actor with the permanent trace of a reputation.
  • 雁过 (yànguò) + 留声 (liúshēng) mirrors this exact dynamic using a natural phenomenon (geese in flight).
  • The compound phrasing divides neatly into two balanced halves of four characters each.

The rhythmic parallelism makes the proverb intuitive, poetic, and rhetorically powerful.

EXAMPLE 1 · SPEAKING OF REPUTATION
做人 zuòrén • behave 要 yào • must 正直 zhèngzhí • upright ， 人过留名 proverb • reputation remains 。
One must conduct themselves with integrity; a person's reputation outlives them.
EXAMPLE 2 · EMPHASIZING LEGACY
我们 wǒmen • we 得 děi • must 做事 zuòshì • take action 负责 fùzé • accountable ， 人过留名，雁过留声 proverb • actions leave marks 。
We must take responsibility for our actions; after all, a person leaves a name just as a goose leaves a sound.
TARGET SENTENCE
As a person leaves a name behind, a wild goose leaves a sound.
NOT A DICTIONARY