expression
high status does not depend on birth; every man can achieve great power if he exerts himself
Classical Chinese-derived proverb asserting that noble rank is not determined by lineage; anyone can rise through effort. Used in literary or rhetorical contexts.
「王侯将相いずくんぞ種あらんや」という言葉は、努力次第で誰でも偉くなれるという意味だ。
The saying '王侯将相いずくんぞ種あらんや' means that anyone can become great through effort.
From Classical Chinese, attributed to the rebel Chen Sheng (陳勝) in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is conventionally associated with the idea that kings, nobles, generals, and ministers are not born into their positions.