諺語 · a single proverb
白日做夢
Simplified: 白日做梦
What does 白日做夢 (bái rì zuò mèng) mean?
白日做夢 (bái rì zuò mèng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "dreaming in broad daylight." In use it means: Indulging in wild fantasies that have no basis in reality; wishful thinking detached from facts. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "dreaming in broad daylight."
The reading
The dream is vivid but the sun is up and the facts are cold. Daydreaming is useful when it generates a plan. It is expensive when it replaces one. The person who confuses the vision for the thing has spent imagination where effort was needed. Dream at night. Plan in the morning. Build in the afternoon.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk expression; widely used in Chinese vernacular
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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 白日做夢 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 白日做夢 (bái rì zuò mèng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common folk expression; widely used in Chinese vernacular. 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 白日做夢?
In Mandarin it is bái rì zuò mèng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 白日做夢 aloud in Mandarin.