諺語 · a single proverb
大寒不寒，人馬不安
Simplified: 大寒不寒，人马不安
What does 大寒不寒，人馬不安 (dà hán bù hán, rén mǎ bù ān) mean?
大寒不寒，人馬不安 (dà hán bù hán, rén mǎ bù ān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "If Great Cold is not cold, people and horses are uneasy." In use it means: An unusually warm Dahan solar term is considered an ominous sign, suggesting that the natural order is disrupted and that trouble such as pest outbreaks or poor harvests may follow in the coming year. 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 Tiger.
Literally: "If Great Cold is not cold, people and horses are uneasy."
The reading
Warmth in the wrong season is more unsettling than the deepest freeze. When the coldest days of winter arrive mild, experienced farmers know the balance has shifted. Pests that should have perished survive, dormant diseases stir early, and the soil misses the deep rest it needs to regenerate. Even the draft horses sense something off, shifting restlessly in stalls that should be ice-rimmed, and comfort arriving in the wrong month warns that the coming year rests on a faulty foundation.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional weather-omen proverb from northern China, referenced in solar-term almanacs and folk forecasting collections
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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 大寒不寒，人馬不安 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 大寒不寒，人馬不安 (dà hán bù hán, rén mǎ bù ān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional weather-omen proverb from northern China, referenced in solar-term almanacs and folk forecasting collections. 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 大寒不寒，人馬不安?
In Mandarin it is dà hán bù hán, rén mǎ bù ān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 大寒不寒，人馬不安 aloud in Mandarin.