諺語 · a single proverb
近水樓臺先得月
Simplified: 近水楼台先得月
What does 近水樓臺先得月 (jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè) mean?
近水樓臺先得月 (jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "the waterside pavilion gets the moonlight first." In use it means: Being close to the source gives you an advantage; proximity to opportunity creates access. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "the waterside pavilion gets the moonlight first."
The reading
The building nearest the water reflects the moon before the building on the hill. No one arranged this. Geometry arranged it. Position yourself near the thing you want, and access follows. This is not manipulation. It is physics. The person who shows up is the person who gets the first light.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Su Lin 蘇麟, poem to Fan Zhongyan
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 近水樓臺先得月 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 近水樓臺先得月 (jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Su Lin 蘇麟, poem to Fan Zhongyan. 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 近水樓臺先得月?
In Mandarin it is jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 近水樓臺先得月 aloud in Mandarin.