諺語 · a single proverb
風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒
Simplified: 风吹墙头草，两边倒
What does 風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒 (fēng chuī qiáng tóu cǎo, liǎng biān dào) mean?
風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒 (fēng chuī qiáng tóu cǎo, liǎng biān dào) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "wind blows the grass on the wall, and it falls to both sides." In use it means: A person without conviction will follow whoever has power at the moment, bending with every change of wind. 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 Rat.
Literally: "wind blows the grass on the wall, and it falls to both sides."
The reading
The grass on top of the wall bends left when the wind blows left, and right when it blows right. It has no root deep enough to resist. Flexibility is a virtue. Spinelessness is not. The difference is whether you bend because the situation requires it or because you have no center to hold.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk metaphor, used widely in political and moral commentary
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒 (fēng chuī qiáng tóu cǎo, liǎng biān dào) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Common folk metaphor, used widely in political and moral commentary. 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 風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒?
In Mandarin it is fēng chuī qiáng tóu cǎo, liǎng biān dào. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 風吹牆頭草，兩邊倒 aloud in Mandarin.