諺語 · a single proverb
不打不相識
Simplified: 不打不相识
What does 不打不相識 (bù dǎ bù xiāng shí) mean?
不打不相識 (bù dǎ bù xiāng shí) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "without fighting, we would not have met." In use it means: Conflict can be the beginning of friendship; adversaries sometimes become the closest allies. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "without fighting, we would not have met."
The reading
The fight was real. So was the respect that came after it. Something about testing each other in opposition revealed a quality that handshakes and small talk never could. Not every enemy becomes a friend. But some of the best friendships began with a disagreement that both sides took seriously enough to finish.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Water Margin 水滸傳; widely proverbial
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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 不打不相識 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不打不相識 (bù dǎ bù xiāng shí) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Water Margin 水滸傳; widely proverbial. 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 不打不相識?
In Mandarin it is bù dǎ bù xiāng shí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不打不相識 aloud in Mandarin.