諺語 · a single proverb
兩袖清風
Simplified: 两袖清风
What does 兩袖清風 (liǎng xiù qīng fēng) mean?
兩袖清風 (liǎng xiù qīng fēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "both sleeves carry only a clean breeze." In use it means: An honest official who takes no bribes. Their sleeves are empty because they never filled them with gifts. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "both sleeves carry only a clean breeze."
The reading
The official walks home with nothing in his sleeves but air. In a system where everyone else's sleeves are bulging with silk and silver, his emptiness is a statement. It says: the job was the point. The job was enough.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Yu Qian 于謙 (Ming dynasty official and poet)
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 兩袖清風 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 兩袖清風 (liǎng xiù qīng fēng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Yu Qian 于謙 (Ming dynasty official and poet). 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 兩袖清風?
In Mandarin it is liǎng xiù qīng fēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 兩袖清風 aloud in Mandarin.