諺語 · a single proverb
眾志成城
Simplified: 众志成城
What does 眾志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng) mean?
眾志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "many wills form a fortress." In use it means: When a group shares one purpose, their combined determination becomes as solid as a city wall. Unity of will is a structural material. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "many wills form a fortress."
The reading
One person's determination is a brick. Ten people's determination is a wall. A thousand people's determination is a city that no army wants to approach. The fortress is not built from stone. It is built from the decision, shared by everyone inside, that this ground will not be given up. That decision, held long enough by enough people, becomes indistinguishable from architecture.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Discourses of the States 國語, Zhou Yu 周語; Book of Songs 詩經
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 眾志成城 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 眾志成城 (zhòng zhì chéng chéng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Discourses of the States 國語, Zhou Yu 周語; Book of Songs 詩經. 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 眾志成城?
In Mandarin it is zhòng zhì chéng chéng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 眾志成城 aloud in Mandarin.