諺語 · a single proverb
瓜田不納履，李下不整冠
Simplified: 瓜田不纳履，李下不整冠
What does 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠 (guā tián bù nà lǚ lǐ xià bù zhěng guān) mean?
瓜田不納履，李下不整冠 (guā tián bù nà lǚ lǐ xià bù zhěng guān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "in a melon field don't adjust your shoes, under a plum tree don't fix your hat." In use it means: Avoid actions that could be misinterpreted, even if your intentions are pure. Perception matters because other people cannot read your mind. 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 Rooster.
Literally: "in a melon field don't adjust your shoes, under a plum tree don't fix your hat."
The reading
You know you were just tying your shoe. But the farmer sees someone bending down in his melon patch. Your intention is invisible. Your posture is not. Half of integrity is doing the right thing. The other half is not standing where the right thing looks wrong.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Yuefu poem 君子行 (Han dynasty); Yan family precepts 顏氏家訓
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠 (guā tián bù nà lǚ lǐ xià bù zhěng guān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Yuefu poem 君子行 (Han dynasty); Yan family precepts 顏氏家訓. 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 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠?
In Mandarin it is guā tián bù nà lǚ lǐ xià bù zhěng guān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 瓜田不納履，李下不整冠 aloud in Mandarin.