狗gǒu咬yǎo呂lǚ洞dòng賓bīn——bù——不shí識hǎo好rén人xīn心

What does 狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心 (gǒu yǎo lǚ dòng bīn——bù shí hǎo rén xīn) mean?

狗咬呂洞賓——不識好人心 (gǒu yǎo lǚ dòng bīn——bù shí hǎo rén xīn) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "A dog biting Lü Dongbin-failing to recognize a good person's heart." In use it means: Repaying kindness with hostility. Lü Dongbin is one of the Eight Immortals, known for benevolence, so biting him represents misplaced aggression toward a benefactor. 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 Dog.

Literally: "A dog biting Lü Dongbin-failing to recognize a good person's heart.."

The reading

Kindness does not always arrive in a shape we expect, and so we sometimes snap at the hand that means well. Pride or suspicion can blind us to genuine care. The giver, too, must accept that not every good deed lands softly. Misunderstanding is part of the cost of reaching out. Patience on both sides is what turns a failed gesture into a lasting bond.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typexiēhòuyǔ 歇後語
• FocusLooks back
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Folk xiehouyu referencing Daoist Immortal Lü Dongbin

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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.