諺語 · a single proverb
冰非一日之寒
What does 冰非一日之寒 (bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán) mean?
冰非一日之寒 (bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "ice is not cold from a single day." In use it means: Nothing reaches its current state overnight; all things develop gradually. 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 Rat.
Literally: "ice is not cold from a single day."
The reading
The ice that now covers the river completely did not arrive with one cold night. Each night contributed what it could, imperceptibly, until one morning the surface was solid enough to hold weight. What appears as a sudden condition is the sum of a hundred quiet contributions. Never mistake the final stage for a recent one.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb
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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 冰非一日之寒 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 冰非一日之寒 (bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb. 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 冰非一日之寒?
In Mandarin it is bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 冰非一日之寒 aloud in Mandarin.