諺語 · a single proverb
冰清玉潔
Simplified: 冰清玉洁
What does 冰清玉潔 (bīng qīng yù jié) mean?
冰清玉潔 (bīng qīng yù jié) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "ice clear, jade pure." In use it means: Spotless and pure character; total moral integrity. 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 clear, jade pure."
The reading
Ice does not negotiate with warmth; it either holds or it does not. The person whose values are as clear and cold and uncompromising as winter water occupies a rare position in the world: predictable in the best sense, which is to say trustworthy in the dark. What is truly pure does not require protection.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Qian Fu Lun 潛夫論·交際 (Jiāo Jì chapter, Wang Fu, Han Dynasty)
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 冰清玉潔 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 冰清玉潔 (bīng qīng yù jié) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Qian Fu Lun 潛夫論·交際 (Jiāo Jì chapter, Wang Fu, Han Dynasty). 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 冰清玉潔?
In Mandarin it is bīng qīng yù jié. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 冰清玉潔 aloud in Mandarin.