諺語 · a single proverb
華而不實
Simplified: 华而不实
What does 華而不實 (huá ér bù shí) mean?
華而不實 (huá ér bù shí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "flowery but bearing no fruit." In use it means: Something that looks impressive but lacks substance. All surface, no depth. 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 Rooster.
Literally: "flowery but bearing no fruit."
The reading
The tree bloomed beautifully. Everyone admired it. Then autumn came and there was nothing to pick. The blossoms were real. The fruit was not. Looks and results are different harvests. A person or a plan that flowers but produces nothing is decoration, not agriculture.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zuo Zhuan 左傳 (Spring and Autumn period)
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 華而不實 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 華而不實 (huá ér bù shí) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zuo Zhuan 左傳 (Spring and Autumn period). 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 華而不實?
In Mandarin it is huá ér bù shí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 華而不實 aloud in Mandarin.