Wikipedia:Levels of competence

Shu ha ri

In martial arts, there is a concept along the road to mastery called shu ha ri[Note 1] that could be explained as:

  • One who is a beginner plays within the boundaries.
  • One who is proficient explores the boundaries.
  • One who is an expert creates the boundaries—or ignores them altogether.

While editing Wikipedia:

  • Beginners don't know (or are only starting to learn) the rules.
  • Intermediate users learn the rules.
  • Advanced users learn the spirit of the rules.
  • Finally, once users understand the spirit of the rules and principles, they can sometimes ignore them.


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