諺語 · a single proverb
賦之強下，必有勇夫
Simplified: 赋之强下，必有勇夫
What does 賦之強下，必有勇夫 (fù zhī qiáng xià, bì yǒu yǒng fū) mean?
賦之強下，必有勇夫 (fù zhī qiáng xià, bì yǒu yǒng fū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "under a strong reward, there must be a brave person." In use it means: Sufficient incentive will always produce someone willing to take the risk. 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 Tiger.
Literally: "under a strong reward, there must be a brave person."
The reading
The cliff is high. The reward is higher. And somewhere in the crowd, someone is calculating the odds. Incentives are not bribes. They are invitations that match the scale of the ask. The question is never whether someone will step forward. It is whether the reward is large enough to summon them.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional military maxim; variants in Han-era texts
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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 賦之強下，必有勇夫 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 賦之強下，必有勇夫 (fù zhī qiáng xià, bì yǒu yǒng fū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional military maxim; variants in Han-era texts. 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 賦之強下，必有勇夫?
In Mandarin it is fù zhī qiáng xià, bì yǒu yǒng fū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 賦之強下，必有勇夫 aloud in Mandarin.