Yú zhě qiān lǜ, bì yǒu yī dé.

愚者千慮, 必有一得。

Lit [If a] fool [makes] a thousand calculations, there must be one [accidentally] correct.

Fig Even a fool occasionally hits on a good idea.

Note [Cf. Shǐ Jì: Huái Yīn Hóu Lièzhuàn; often used self-deprecatingly; this often occurs together with zhìzhě qiān lǜ (q.v.) below; note the chengyu: qiānlǜ-yīdé, “one good idea out of a thousand”; see also cōngming yīshì above.]

Topics CALCULATIONS chengyu FOOLS Huái Yīn Hóu Lièzhuàn PLANNING qiānlǜ-yīdé Shǐ_Jì