諺語 · a single proverb
從來佳茗似佳人
Simplified: 从来佳茗似佳人
What does 從來佳茗似佳人 (cónglái jiā míng sì jiārén) mean?
從來佳茗似佳人 (cónglái jiā míng sì jiārén) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "Fine tea has always been like a beautiful person." In use it means: Su Shi compared the finest teas to rare beauty, suggesting that great tea, like a captivating person, is delicate, complex, and rewards careful attention. 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: "Fine tea has always been like a beautiful person.."
The reading
There is a tenderness in how some things ask to be noticed. Fine tea does not shout its quality but lets you lean in, steep by steep, until the subtlety becomes undeniable. Beauty of this kind is never loud. It lives in restraint and in the willingness to be overlooked by those moving too fast. What is genuinely fine has no need to announce itself.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Su Shi (Su Dongpo), Song dynasty poem '次韵曹辅寄壑源试焙新芽'
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 從來佳茗似佳人 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 從來佳茗似佳人 (cónglái jiā míng sì jiārén) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Su Shi (Su Dongpo), Song dynasty poem '次韵曹辅寄壑源试焙新芽'. 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 從來佳茗似佳人?
In Mandarin it is cónglái jiā míng sì jiārén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 從來佳茗似佳人 aloud in Mandarin.