Chinese characters and pinyin
Simplified: 众人拾柴火焰高
Traditional: 眾人拾柴火焰高
Pinyin: zhòng rén shí chái huǒ yàn gāo
Literal translation
When everyone gathers firewood, the flames rise high.
Natural English meaning
Collective effort produces a stronger result than isolated work.
Closest English equivalent
Many hands make light work.
The Chinese image emphasizes a greater shared outcome, not only a lighter burden.
When to use it
Use it when inviting a group to contribute toward one goal.
When not to use it
It does not mean that more people always improve a poorly coordinated task.
Example sentence
这次社区活动靠大家帮忙，真是众人拾柴火焰高。
The community event succeeded because everyone contributed.
Origin and cultural context
A folk proverb built around the communal image of feeding a fire.
Classification: proverb. This label distinguishes a complete proverb or popular saying from a compact idiom or a quotation preserved from a classical text.
