諺語 · a single proverb
獨木難支
Simplified: 独木难支
What does 獨木難支 (dú mù nán zhī) mean?
獨木難支 (dú mù nán zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "a single beam cannot hold up a building." In use it means: One person alone cannot sustain a large undertaking. The building needs many beams, and the project needs many people. Strength in isolation is still insufficient. 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 Dog.
Literally: "a single beam cannot hold up a building."
The reading
The strongest beam in the house cracks when it carries the weight alone. Not because the beam is weak. Because the house is heavy. The person who refuses help is not strong. They are a single beam under a whole roof, and the cracking sound is not strength. It is time running out.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Nan Qi Shu 南齊書; classical architectural metaphor
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 Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 獨木難支 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 獨木難支 (dú mù nán zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Nan Qi Shu 南齊書; classical architectural metaphor. 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 獨木難支?
In Mandarin it is dú mù nán zhī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 獨木難支 aloud in Mandarin.