諺語 · a single proverb
風流人物
Simplified: 风流人物
What does 風流人物 (fēng liú rén wù) mean?
風流人物 (fēng liú rén wù) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "distinguished figures of the age." In use it means: The outstanding personalities who define their era; the individuals whose actions and character become the reference point for a generation. 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: "distinguished figures of the age."
The reading
Every era produces a handful of people who seem to contain the entire period inside them. They are not just participants. They are definitions. When the era is remembered, it is remembered through them, because they gave it the shape that history could hold.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Su Shi 蘇軾, Nian Nu Jiao 念奴嬌; Mao Zedong 毛澤東, Qin Yuan Chun 沁園春
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 風流人物 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 風流人物 (fēng liú rén wù) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Su Shi 蘇軾, Nian Nu Jiao 念奴嬌; Mao Zedong 毛澤東, Qin Yuan Chun 沁園春. 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 風流人物?
In Mandarin it is fēng liú rén wù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 風流人物 aloud in Mandarin.