諺語 · a single proverb
不以物喜，不以己悲
What does 不以物喜，不以己悲 (bù yǐ wù xǐ bù yǐ jǐ bēi) mean?
不以物喜，不以己悲 (bù yǐ wù xǐ bù yǐ jǐ bēi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "do not rejoice over things; do not grieve over yourself." In use it means: Maintain emotional equilibrium regardless of external gains or personal setbacks. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "do not rejoice over things; do not grieve over yourself."
The reading
The promotion does not make you a better person. The failure does not make you a worse one. The person who rides neither wave, who stays level when the world is going up and down, is the one who sees the horizon clearly while everyone else is seasick.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹, Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓記
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 不以物喜，不以己悲 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不以物喜，不以己悲 (bù yǐ wù xǐ bù yǐ jǐ bēi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹, Yueyang Tower 岳陽樓記. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 不以物喜，不以己悲?
In Mandarin it is bù yǐ wù xǐ bù yǐ jǐ bēi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不以物喜，不以己悲 aloud in Mandarin.