諺語 · a single proverb
兩心不苦
Simplified: 两心不苦
What does 兩心不苦 (liǎng xīn bù kǔ) mean?
兩心不苦 (liǎng xīn bù kǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "two hearts together do not feel bitter." In use it means: Shared hardship between two people who care for each other transforms suffering into something bearable. 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 Dog.
Literally: "two hearts together do not feel bitter."
The reading
The load is the same. But now there are two sets of shoulders. The weight did not decrease. The experience of carrying it did. Hardship shared is not halved in any mathematical sense. It is halved in the only sense that matters: the emotional one.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Regional folk proverb; southern Chinese oral tradition
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 兩心不苦 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 兩心不苦 (liǎng xīn bù kǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Regional folk proverb; southern Chinese oral tradition. 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 兩心不苦?
In Mandarin it is liǎng xīn bù kǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 兩心不苦 aloud in Mandarin.