諺語 · a single proverb
老當益壯
What does 老當益壯 (lǎo dāng yì zhuàng) mean?
老當益壯 (lǎo dāng yì zhuàng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "old yet increasingly vigorous." In use it means: The elderly should be even more spirited and strong; remain vigorous and ambitious in old age. 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 Horse.
Literally: "old yet increasingly vigorous."
The reading
There is a certain kind of vigor that only age can produce, the product of all the failures survived and all the lessons absorbed and all the complications that were once daunting and are now simply problems with known solutions. The old who are increasing in vitality are not fighting their age but riding it, using the momentum of a life well lived. Old and increasing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Hou Han Shu 後漢書·馬援傳 (Mǎ Yuán biography)
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Rabbit.
Questions
Is 老當益壯 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 老當益壯 (lǎo dāng yì zhuàng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Hou Han Shu 後漢書·馬援傳 (Mǎ Yuán biography). 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 老當益壯?
In Mandarin it is lǎo dāng yì zhuàng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 老當益壯 aloud in Mandarin.