諺語 · a single proverb

趁chèn熱rè打dǎ鐵tiě

Simplified: 趁热打铁

chèn rè dǎ tiě

What does 趁熱打鐵 (chèn rè dǎ tiě) mean?

趁熱打鐵 (chèn rè dǎ tiě) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "while hot strike the iron." In use it means: Strike while the iron is hot; act at the right moment when conditions are favorable. 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 Horse.

Literally: "while hot strike the iron."

The reading

The iron holds its shape in the fire only so long, and the moment is brief. The smith who hesitates finds the metal hardened and the opportunity gone cold. Timing is not luck but attention made into action.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb (suyu)

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.

小洞不補，大洞受苦

xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng shòu kǔ

Fix small problems before they become large ones.

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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 趁熱打鐵 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 趁熱打鐵 (chèn rè dǎ tiě) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb (suyu). 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 趁熱打鐵?

In Mandarin it is chèn rè dǎ tiě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 趁熱打鐵 aloud in Mandarin.