諺語 · a single proverb
擔肩挑子兩頭衝
Simplified: 担肩挑子两头冲
What does 擔肩挑子兩頭衝 (dān jiān tiāo zǐ liǎng tóu chōng) mean?
擔肩挑子兩頭衝 (dān jiān tiāo zǐ liǎng tóu chōng) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "the carrying pole is pressed from both ends." In use it means: Being caught between two competing pressures, with obligations pulling in opposite directions. 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 Horse.
Literally: "the carrying pole is pressed from both ends."
The reading
The pole bends. Both baskets are heavy. And you are in the middle, bearing the weight of two things that want to go in different directions. Some positions in life are structural: they carry tension by design. The skill is not in eliminating the tension but in walking steadily beneath it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Southern Chinese folk saying from agricultural carrying traditions
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 擔肩挑子兩頭衝 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 擔肩挑子兩頭衝 (dān jiān tiāo zǐ liǎng tóu chōng) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Southern Chinese folk saying from agricultural carrying traditions. 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 擔肩挑子兩頭衝?
In Mandarin it is dān jiān tiāo zǐ liǎng tóu chōng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 擔肩挑子兩頭衝 aloud in Mandarin.