諺語 · a single proverb
雪中送炭
What does 雪中送炭 (xuě zhōng sòng tàn) mean?
雪中送炭 (xuě zhōng sòng tàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "in snow send charcoal." In use it means: Provide timely help in times of need; send charcoal in a snowstorm. 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: "in snow send charcoal."
The reading
The charcoal given in the blizzard is worth ten times the same charcoal given on a pleasant day. What is given at the exact moment of need demonstrates not merely generosity but attentiveness, the kind that notices what is needed and moves before being asked. This is the highest form of a gift: the one that arrives before the request.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song Dynasty 宋·范成大詩 (Fàn Chéngdà poem usage)
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 Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 雪中送炭 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 雪中送炭 (xuě zhōng sòng tàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Song Dynasty 宋·范成大詩 (Fàn Chéngdà poem usage). 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 雪中送炭?
In Mandarin it is xuě zhōng sòng tàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 雪中送炭 aloud in Mandarin.