諺語 · a single proverb
貴人語不貴言
Simplified: 贵人语不贵言
What does 貴人語不貴言 (guì rén yǔ bù guì yán) mean?
貴人語不貴言 (guì rén yǔ bù guì yán) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a noble person speaks sparingly but means greatly." In use it means: Words from a thoughtful person carry weight because they are rare and chosen with care. 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 Ox.
Literally: "a noble person speaks sparingly but means greatly."
The reading
The person who speaks least is listened to most, because every word has been through a filter that most people skip. Abundance of speech is not a sign of abundance of thought. Often it is the opposite. The quiet sentence that arrives after ten minutes of silence has ten minutes of compression behind it. That is why it lands.
What kind of proverb it is
Source General Confucian principle; echoes Analects on the junzi (君子)
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 Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 貴人語不貴言 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 貴人語不貴言 (guì rén yǔ bù guì yán) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from General Confucian principle; echoes Analects on the junzi (君子). 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 貴人語不貴言?
In Mandarin it is guì rén yǔ bù guì yán. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 貴人語不貴言 aloud in Mandarin.