諺語 · a single proverb
隔行如隔山
What does 隔行如隔山 (gé háng rú gé shān) mean?
隔行如隔山 (gé háng rú gé shān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "separate trade like separate mountain." In use it means: Each profession is a world apart; expertise in one field gives little insight into another. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "separate trade like separate mountain."
The reading
The distance between trades is not measured in feet but in years of particular attention, and the mountain between them is made of exactly that: the accumulated time of noticing the things that only that trade requires you to notice. The physician and the carpenter both know their mountain and neither knows the other's. This is not ignorance but specificity.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb (yanyu)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 隔行如隔山 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 隔行如隔山 (gé háng rú gé shān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb (yanyu). 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 隔行如隔山?
In Mandarin it is gé háng rú gé shān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 隔行如隔山 aloud in Mandarin.