諺語 · a single proverb
蠶做繭，快插秧
Simplified: 蚕做茧，快插秧
What does 蠶做繭，快插秧 (cán zuò jiǎn, kuài chā yāng) mean?
蠶做繭，快插秧 (cán zuò jiǎn, kuài chā yāng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "When silkworms spin cocoons, quickly transplant rice seedlings." In use it means: The timing of silkworm cocoon-spinning serves as a natural signal that temperature and moisture conditions are right for transplanting rice seedlings into the paddy field. Both events are triggered by the same seasonal warmth. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "When silkworms spin cocoons, quickly transplant rice seedlings."
The reading
In the Jiangnan countryside, the silkworm room and the rice paddy answered to the same invisible clock. The moment silkworms began wrapping themselves in silk was the moment farmers needed to move seedlings from nursery beds to flooded fields. One life retreating into stillness signaled another life's need to be set in motion. Paying attention to what one part of the farm is doing can reveal what another part urgently requires.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Sericulture-agriculture proverb from the Jiangnan silk and rice regions, Song-Ming era oral tradition
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 蠶做繭，快插秧 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 蠶做繭，快插秧 (cán zuò jiǎn, kuài chā yāng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Sericulture-agriculture proverb from the Jiangnan silk and rice regions, Song-Ming era oral tradition. 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 蠶做繭，快插秧?
In Mandarin it is cán zuò jiǎn, kuài chā yāng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 蠶做繭，快插秧 aloud in Mandarin.