諺語 · a single proverb
百聞不如一見
Simplified: 百闻不如一见
What does 百聞不如一見 (bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn) mean?
百聞不如一見 (bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "hundred hearings not equal one seeing." In use it means: Seeing once is worth more than hearing a hundred times. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "hundred hearings not equal one seeing."
The reading
A thousand descriptions of the sea cannot summon the smell of salt or the cold shock of a wave against the chest. The body learns what words can only approximate, and the eye confirms what the ear has long held as rumor. Go and look.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Shu 漢書·趙充國傳 (Zhào Chōng Guó biography)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 百聞不如一見 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 百聞不如一見 (bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Han Shu 漢書·趙充國傳 (Zhào Chōng Guó biography). 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 百聞不如一見?
In Mandarin it is bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 百聞不如一見 aloud in Mandarin.