諺語 · a single proverb
白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜
Simplified: 白露秋风夜，一夜凉一夜
What does 白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜 (bái lù qiū fēng yè, yī yè liáng yī yè) mean?
白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜 (bái lù qiū fēng yè, yī yè liáng yī yè) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "On White Dew nights with autumn wind, each night is cooler than the last." In use it means: After the Bailu solar term (White Dew, around September 7), temperatures drop noticeably every night. The dew that forms signals that moisture is condensing from cooler air. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "On White Dew nights with autumn wind, each night is cooler than the last.."
The reading
The first dew of autumn carries a message that summer has already departed in spirit. Coolness arrives gently at night before it claims the day. There is an honesty to seasonal transitions that human ones often lack. The body adjusts to cold gradually, but only if the mind stops clinging to warmth.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Solar term weather proverb, common in Jiangnan and Yellow River regions
Sits beside
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜 (bái lù qiū fēng yè, yī yè liáng yī yè) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Solar term weather proverb, common in Jiangnan and Yellow River regions. 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 白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜?
In Mandarin it is bái lù qiū fēng yè, yī yè liáng yī yè. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 白露秋風夜，一夜涼一夜 aloud in Mandarin.