諺語 · a single proverb
大難不死，必有後福
Simplified: 大难不死，必有后福
What does 大難不死，必有後福 (dà nàn bù sǐ bì yǒu hòu fú) mean?
大難不死，必有後福 (dà nàn bù sǐ bì yǒu hòu fú) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "surviving a great disaster, there must be good fortune to come." In use it means: If you survive a catastrophe, better days lie ahead. The universe, or at least probability, seems to balance great suffering with future blessing. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "surviving a great disaster, there must be good fortune to come."
The reading
The person who walked away from the wreck is not the same person who got into the car. Something in them recalibrated. The near miss burned away the trivial worries and left only the essential ones. The fortune that follows is partly luck and partly the new clarity of someone who now knows exactly what matters.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb 民間諺語; appears in Journey to the West 西遊記 and Ming novels
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 Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 大難不死，必有後福 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 大難不死，必有後福 (dà nàn bù sǐ bì yǒu hòu fú) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb 民間諺語; appears in Journey to the West 西遊記 and Ming novels. 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 大難不死，必有後福?
In Mandarin it is dà nàn bù sǐ bì yǒu hòu fú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 大難不死，必有後福 aloud in Mandarin.