# 开卷有益

kāi juàn yǒu yì

Reading brings benefit

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Opening a scroll is beneficial

**Traditional Chinese:** 開卷有益

**Register:** Encouraging · literary

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Encourage learning through books.

Not every claim in print is reliable.

## Understanding the expression

Opening a book creates the chance to encounter knowledge, ideas, and experience beyond one's own. The expression encourages reading even when the benefit is not immediately obvious. Modern use often appears in educational advice and reflections on learning. It praises the habit, not blind belief in everything printed. Critical reading remains important: comparing sources, asking questions, and considering context help turn the act of reading into real understanding and useful growth.

## Examples

每天读一点，开卷有益。

### Traditional Chinese

每天讀一點，開卷有益。

měi tiān dú yì diǎn ， kāi juàn yǒu yì 。

Read a little daily; reading brings benefit.

她相信开卷有益，常去图书馆。

### Traditional Chinese

她相信開卷有益，常去圖書館。

tā xiāng xìn kāi juàn yǒu yì ， cháng qù tú shū guǎn 。

She values reading and often visits the library.

开卷有益，也要学会辨别。

### Traditional Chinese

開卷有益，也要學會辨別。

kāi juàn yǒu yì ， yě yào xué huì biàn bié 。

Reading helps, but discernment is also needed.

这次读书会让他体会到开卷有益。

### Traditional Chinese

這次讀書會讓他體會到開卷有益。

zhè cì dú shū huì ràng tā tǐ huì dào kāi juàn yǒu yì 。

The reading group showed him the benefits of books.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%96%8B%E5%8D%B7%E6%9C%89%E7%9B%8A)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=284&webMd=1&la=0)

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