諺語 · a single proverb
好馬不吃回頭草
Simplified: 好马不吃回头草
What does 好馬不吃回頭草 (hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo) mean?
好馬不吃回頭草 (hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a good horse does not eat the grass behind it." In use it means: A person with pride and forward momentum does not go back to what they have already passed. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "a good horse does not eat the grass behind it."
The reading
The grass behind you is the same grass you already decided was not enough. Going back to it is not resourcefulness. It is retreat dressed as strategy. Keep moving. The grass ahead is grass you have not tasted yet.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb; common in Chinese popular culture
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 好馬不吃回頭草 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 好馬不吃回頭草 (hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb; common in Chinese popular culture. 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 好馬不吃回頭草?
In Mandarin it is hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 好馬不吃回頭草 aloud in Mandarin.