諺語 · a single proverb
春眠不覺曉
Simplified: 春眠不觉晓
What does 春眠不覺曉 (chūn mián bù jué xiǎo) mean?
春眠不覺曉 (chūn mián bù jué xiǎo) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "spring sleep unaware of dawn." In use it means: In spring, one sleeps deeply and doesn't notice the dawn; the body's alignment with seasonal rest. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "spring sleep unaware of dawn."
The reading
In spring the body knows something the alarm clock does not: the season for deep rest is still present, and the dawn that arrives early is not a command but an invitation that may be declined. Sleep unaware of the hour is the body's vote for the natural over the scheduled, and sometimes that vote is the wisest one cast all week.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Meng Haoran 孟浩然·《春曉》 (Chūn Xiǎo, Spring Dawn, Tang Dynasty poem)
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 春眠不覺曉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 春眠不覺曉 (chūn mián bù jué xiǎo) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Meng Haoran 孟浩然·《春曉》 (Chūn Xiǎo, Spring Dawn, Tang Dynasty poem). 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 春眠不覺曉?
In Mandarin it is chūn mián bù jué xiǎo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 春眠不覺曉 aloud in Mandarin.