諺語 · a single proverb
衣冠楚楚
What does 衣冠楚楚 (yī guān chǔ chǔ) mean?
衣冠楚楚 (yī guān chǔ chǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "dressed in fine clothing and proper hat." In use it means: Well-dressed and outwardly respectable; sometimes implying that the appearance hides a less noble interior. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "dressed in fine clothing and proper hat."
The reading
The clothes are tailored. The hat sits straight. The shoes are polished. And none of it tells you what the person will do when no one is looking. Appearance is the first paragraph, not the whole book. Some of the finest-dressed people write terrible second chapters. Read past the first paragraph before you form an opinion.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of Songs 詩經, Cao Feng 曹風, Hou Ren 候人
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 Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 衣冠楚楚 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 衣冠楚楚 (yī guān chǔ chǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Book of Songs 詩經, Cao Feng 曹風, Hou Ren 候人. 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 衣冠楚楚?
In Mandarin it is yī guān chǔ chǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 衣冠楚楚 aloud in Mandarin.