諺語 · a single proverb
逢場作戲
Simplified: 逢场作戏
What does 逢場作戲 (féng chǎng zuò xì) mean?
逢場作戲 (féng chǎng zuò xì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "when you encounter the stage, put on a show." In use it means: Playing along with a situation, performing the expected role without deep commitment. Sometimes the occasion requires a performance, and the wise person gives one without mistaking it for reality. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "when you encounter the stage, put on a show."
The reading
The diplomat says what the room needs to hear. This is not lying. It is reading the stage. The person who performs at every banquet, every ceremony, every required social fiction and walks away unchanged is not a hypocrite. They are someone who understands that life contains stages and living rooms, and the scripts are different.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song-era Buddhist expression; vernacular novel usage
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 逢場作戲 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 逢場作戲 (féng chǎng zuò xì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Song-era Buddhist expression; vernacular novel usage. 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 逢場作戲?
In Mandarin it is féng chǎng zuò xì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 逢場作戲 aloud in Mandarin.