諺語 · a single proverb
孤掌難鳴
Simplified: 孤掌难鸣
What does 孤掌難鳴 (gū zhǎng nán míng) mean?
孤掌難鳴 (gū zhǎng nán míng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one palm hard to clap." In use it means: One hand cannot clap; nothing can be accomplished alone. 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: "one palm hard to clap."
The reading
The sound that fills a room requires two surfaces meeting. Even the greatest voice needs a wall to return the echo. Those who insist on doing everything alone often produce half a sound and call it silence's failure rather than their own.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Fei Zi 韓非子·功名 (Gōng Míng chapter)
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 孤掌難鳴 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 孤掌難鳴 (gū zhǎng nán míng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Han Fei Zi 韓非子·功名 (Gōng Míng chapter). 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 孤掌難鳴?
In Mandarin it is gū zhǎng nán míng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 孤掌難鳴 aloud in Mandarin.