諺語 · a single proverb
風水輪流轉
Simplified: 风水轮流转
What does 風水輪流轉 (fēng shuǐ lún liú zhuǎn) mean?
風水輪流轉 (fēng shuǐ lún liú zhuǎn) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "feng shui turns in rotation." In use it means: Fortune cycles. The person on top today may be at the bottom tomorrow, and the other way around. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "feng shui turns in rotation."
The reading
The wheel does not stop. The family that has everything this decade will meet the turn. The one that has nothing will meet it too. This is not punishment or reward. It is rotation. The only sensible response is to be decent when you are up, because you will need decency when you are down.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk saying; referenced in Ming/Qing novels
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 風水輪流轉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 風水輪流轉 (fēng shuǐ lún liú zhuǎn) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Common folk saying; referenced in Ming/Qing 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 風水輪流轉?
In Mandarin it is fēng shuǐ lún liú zhuǎn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 風水輪流轉 aloud in Mandarin.