諺語 · a single proverb
富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈
Simplified: 富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈
What does 富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈 (fù guì bù néng yín pín jiàn bù néng yí wēi wǔ bù néng qū) mean?
富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈 (fù guì bù néng yín pín jiàn bù néng yí wēi wǔ bù néng qū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "wealth cannot corrupt, poverty cannot sway, power cannot bend." In use it means: A person of true character remains unmoved by riches, poverty, or force; integrity stands regardless of circumstance. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "wealth cannot corrupt, poverty cannot sway, power cannot bend."
The reading
Three tests, one question: are you the same person when the conditions change? Money arrives: do you change? Money leaves: do you change? Someone threatens you: do you change? The person who passes all three is not rigid. They are rooted. The wind moves the branches, not the trunk.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Mencius 孟子, Teng Wen Gong Xia 滕文公下
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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈 (fù guì bù néng yín pín jiàn bù néng yí wēi wǔ bù néng qū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Mencius 孟子, Teng Wen Gong Xia 滕文公下. 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 富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈?
In Mandarin it is fù guì bù néng yín pín jiàn bù néng yí wēi wǔ bù néng qū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈 aloud in Mandarin.