諺語 · a single proverb
大音希聲
Simplified: 大音希声
What does 大音希聲 (dà yīn xī shēng) mean?
大音希聲 (dà yīn xī shēng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "the greatest sound is almost silent." In use it means: The most profound expression is nearly inaudible; the deepest truths are conveyed subtly. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "the greatest sound is almost silent."
The reading
Thunder impresses for a moment and is forgotten. The quiet voice that says the true thing keeps speaking in your memory for years. Volume is not depth. The deepest bell rings at a frequency most ears cannot hear.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 41 (Laozi)
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
大道至簡
dà dào zhì jiǎn
The deepest truths are plain.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 大音希聲 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 大音希聲 (dà yīn xī shēng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 41 (Laozi). 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 大音希聲?
In Mandarin it is dà yīn xī shēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 大音希聲 aloud in Mandarin.