諺語 · a single proverb
今朝有酒今朝醉
What does 今朝有酒今朝醉 (jīn zhāo yǒu jiǔ jīn zhāo zuì) mean?
今朝有酒今朝醉 (jīn zhāo yǒu jiǔ jīn zhāo zuì) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "today there is wine, today get drunk." In use it means: Live in the moment and enjoy what you have now rather than worrying about tomorrow. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Pig.
Literally: "today there is wine, today get drunk."
The reading
The wine is here. Tomorrow is not. And the person who saves every drop for a future that may never arrive dies with a full cellar and an empty memory. This is not irresponsibility. It is the honest recognition that the present is the only place you can actually drink. Tomorrow's glass is theoretical.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Luo Yin 羅隱, Tang dynasty poem 自遣
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 今朝有酒今朝醉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 今朝有酒今朝醉 (jīn zhāo yǒu jiǔ jīn zhāo zuì) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Luo Yin 羅隱, Tang dynasty poem 自遣. 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 今朝有酒今朝醉?
In Mandarin it is jīn zhāo yǒu jiǔ jīn zhāo zuì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 今朝有酒今朝醉 aloud in Mandarin.