諺語 · a single proverb
厚德載物
Simplified: 厚德载物
What does 厚德載物 (hòu dé zài wù) mean?
厚德載物 (hòu dé zài wù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "thick virtue carries things." In use it means: As the earth bears everything, deep virtue supports all around it. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "thick virtue carries things."
The reading
The earth never refuses a thing set upon it. To carry others the way the ground carries you is not weakness; it is the deepest strength a person can hold.
The story
From the Yijing, the commentary on the Kun hexagram, Earth: as the earth in its generous solidity carries all things, so the noble person deepens virtue enough to support everything laid upon it. It is the counterpart to the Qian line about ceaseless self-strengthening, the receptive strength that bears rather than climbs.
The next time carrying someone feels like weakness, reframe it as the earth's kind of strength. Widen what you can hold without complaint, the difficult colleague, the family burden, and notice that the capacity to bear is its own deep power.
What kind of proverb it is
Source I Ching 易經, Kun hexagram commentary
Sits beside
天行健，君子以自強不息
tiān xíng jiàn, jūn zǐ yǐ zì qiáng bù xī
The cosmos never rests in its turning, so a worthy person keeps improving without pause.
以和為貴
yǐ hé wéi guì
Harmony is the most valued principle in all human dealings.
謙謙君子
qiān qiān jūn zǐ
One who adds humility to humility, a person of standing who stays modest, moves through the world with grace and meets good fortune.
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Dragon, and Year of the Rabbit.
Questions
Is 厚德載物 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 厚德載物 (hòu dé zài wù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from I Ching 易經, Kun hexagram commentary. 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 厚德載物?
In Mandarin it is hòu dé zài wù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 厚德載物 aloud in Mandarin.