諺語 · a single proverb
粗茶淡飯
Simplified: 粗茶淡饭
What does 粗茶淡飯 (cū chá dàn fàn) mean?
粗茶淡飯 (cū chá dàn fàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "Coarse tea and plain rice." In use it means: Describes a simple, frugal lifestyle without luxury. It conveys contentment with modest daily sustenance rather than excess. 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 Dog.
Literally: "Coarse tea and plain rice.."
The reading
The quietest meals often carry the deepest nourishment. When the table holds only what is needed, the heart is free to attend to what matters. Plain rice eaten in peace outlasts any banquet eaten in anxiety. There is a kind of wealth that only simplicity can afford. Comfort and contentment are not the same thing, and knowing which you hold changes everything.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Classical Chinese four-character idiom, widely attested in Tang and Song dynasty literature
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 粗茶淡飯 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 粗茶淡飯 (cū chá dàn fàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Classical Chinese four-character idiom, widely attested in Tang and Song dynasty literature. 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 粗茶淡飯?
In Mandarin it is cū chá dàn fàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 粗茶淡飯 aloud in Mandarin.