諺語 · a single proverb
不怕慢，就怕站
What does 不怕慢，就怕站 (bù pà màn jiù pà zhàn) mean?
不怕慢，就怕站 (bù pà màn jiù pà zhàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "don't fear slowness, only fear standing still." In use it means: Moving slowly is fine. The real danger is stopping entirely. Any pace forward, no matter how modest, eventually covers the distance. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "don't fear slowness, only fear standing still."
The reading
The tortoise proverb that everybody knows is wrong about one thing: the tortoise did not win because the hare slept. The tortoise won because the tortoise never stopped. Speed is admired. Consistency is what finishes. The person who writes one page a day has a book by winter.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb 民間諺語; widely quoted in Qing-era collections
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 Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 不怕慢，就怕站 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不怕慢，就怕站 (bù pà màn jiù pà zhàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb 民間諺語; widely quoted in Qing-era collections. 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 不怕慢，就怕站?
In Mandarin it is bù pà màn jiù pà zhàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不怕慢，就怕站 aloud in Mandarin.