諺語 · a single proverb
見山是山，見水是水
What does 見山是山，見水是水 (jiàn shān shì shān jiàn shuǐ shì shuǐ) mean?
見山是山，見水是水 (jiàn shān shì shān jiàn shuǐ shì shuǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "see mountain is mountain, see water is water." In use it means: True enlightenment returns to simple, direct perception; after all the analysis, what is there is simply what is there. 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 Snake.
Literally: "see mountain is mountain, see water is water."
The reading
The first stage sees a mountain and calls it a mountain. The second stage sees through the mountain to all its meanings and contingencies and no longer sees just a mountain. The third stage, harder than both, sees the mountain again-simply, freshly, without the weight of all the knowing. This last mountain is the most real one.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Qingyuan Weixin 青原惟信 (Song Dynasty Chan Buddhist master)
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 見山是山，見水是水 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 見山是山，見水是水 (jiàn shān shì shān jiàn shuǐ shì shuǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Qingyuan Weixin 青原惟信 (Song Dynasty Chan Buddhist master). 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 見山是山，見水是水?
In Mandarin it is jiàn shān shì shān jiàn shuǐ shì shuǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 見山是山，見水是水 aloud in Mandarin.