諺語 · a single proverb
冷暖自知
What does 冷暖自知 (lěng nuǎn zì zhī) mean?
冷暖自知 (lěng nuǎn zì zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "cold and warm, only you yourself know." In use it means: How life truly feels is something only the person living it can know; outsiders see circumstances, not experience. 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 Snake.
Literally: "cold and warm, only you yourself know."
The reading
The house is large. The car is new. From outside, the arithmetic says happy. From inside, the person knows a different number. Comfort is not well-being, and well-being is not visible from the street. The only accurate report comes from the person inside the life.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zen Buddhist tradition; common literary expression
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 冷暖自知 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 冷暖自知 (lěng nuǎn zì zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zen Buddhist tradition; common literary expression. 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 冷暖自知?
In Mandarin it is lěng nuǎn zì zhī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 冷暖自知 aloud in Mandarin.