諺語 · a single proverb
不為五斗米折腰
Simplified: 不为五斗米折腰
What does 不為五斗米折腰 (bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo) mean?
不為五斗米折腰 (bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "refusing to bow for five measures of rice." In use it means: Refusing to compromise your dignity for a small salary or petty reward; integrity is not for sale at any price, especially a low one. 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 Horse.
Literally: "refusing to bow for five measures of rice."
The reading
Five measures of rice is not nothing. It is dinner. But the bow required to earn it costs something dinner cannot repay: the straightness of your spine. The calculation is not whether you need the rice. It is whether you can still look at yourself afterward.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Jin Shu 晉書, Tao Yuanming 陶淵明 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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 不為五斗米折腰 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不為五斗米折腰 (bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Jin Shu 晉書, Tao Yuanming 陶淵明 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 不為五斗米折腰?
In Mandarin it is bù wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhé yāo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不為五斗米折腰 aloud in Mandarin.