諺語 · a single proverb

福fú禍huò相xiāng依yī

Simplified: 福祸相依

fú huò xiāng yī

What does 福禍相依 (fú huò xiāng yī) mean?

福禍相依 (fú huò xiāng yī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "fortune and misfortune lean on each other." In use it means: Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined; what seems bad may contain good. 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: "fortune and misfortune lean on each other."

The reading

The crack in the cup is also where the light enters. Every piece of luck carries the seed of its opposite, and every disaster turns the soil for what comes after. Those who can hold both possibilities at once move through the reversals without being broken by them.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Tao Te Ching 道德經·第五十八章 (Chapter 58)

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.

小洞不補，大洞受苦

xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng shòu kǔ

Fix small problems before they become large ones.

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 福禍相依 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 福禍相依 (fú huò xiāng yī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經·第五十八章 (Chapter 58). 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 福禍相依?

In Mandarin it is fú huò xiāng yī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 福禍相依 aloud in Mandarin.