諺語 · a single proverb
疾風知勁草
Simplified: 疾风知劲草
What does 疾風知勁草 (jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo) mean?
疾風知勁草 (jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "a fierce wind knows the sturdy grass." In use it means: Only a hard wind reveals which grass is strong; only crisis shows whose loyalty and integrity truly hold. 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 Tiger.
Literally: "a fierce wind knows the sturdy grass."
The reading
When everything shook, you found out who bent flat and who stayed rooted, including yourself. The storm did not weaken you so much as tell you the truth about your own footing, and there is a strange relief in finally knowing.
The story
The saying is recorded in the Book of the Later Han, in the biography of Wang Ba, where Emperor Guangwu tells him that a fierce wind is what reveals the sturdy grass, praising the loyalty that held when others fell away. Its image is the storm that lays the weak stalks flat and leaves standing only what was truly rooted, and it is used of the crises that show whose integrity holds.
When a hard season strips away the easy company, watch closely to see who keeps their footing, and make sure you are one of them. The storm does not weaken you so much as tell the truth about your own roots, and there is a strange relief in finally knowing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Book of the Later Han 後漢書, Biography of Wang Ba 王霸傳
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 Tiger, Year of the Dog, and Year of the Horse.
Questions
Is 疾風知勁草 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 疾風知勁草 (jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Book of the Later Han 後漢書, Biography of Wang Ba 王霸傳. 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 疾風知勁草?
In Mandarin it is jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 疾風知勁草 aloud in Mandarin.