諺語 · a single proverb
貴人多忘事
Simplified: 贵人多忘事
What does 貴人多忘事 (guì rén duō wàng shì) mean?
貴人多忘事 (guì rén duō wàng shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "important people forget many things." In use it means: Powerful or busy people tend to forget the details and the people who helped them along the way. Status comes with a convenient amnesia. 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 Horse.
Literally: "important people forget many things."
The reading
The person who helped you move the couch in 2011 still remembers. You do not. Your calendar got fuller. Your memory got more selective. The forgetting is not malicious. It is just the arithmetic of a life with too many inputs. But the person who was forgotten keeps the receipt. Remember the couch. It matters.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Five Dynasties history 五代史; Wang Dingbao 王定保, Tang Zhiyan 唐摭言
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 貴人多忘事 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 貴人多忘事 (guì rén duō wàng shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Five Dynasties history 五代史; Wang Dingbao 王定保, Tang Zhiyan 唐摭言. 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 貴人多忘事?
In Mandarin it is guì rén duō wàng shì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 貴人多忘事 aloud in Mandarin.