諺語 · a single proverb
留下腳印方稱路
What does 留下腳印方稱路 (liú xià jiǎo yìn fāng chēng lù) mean?
留下腳印方稱路 (liú xià jiǎo yìn fāng chēng lù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "leave behind footprints, only then called a road." In use it means: A road is made by those who walk it; the path is defined by the act of traveling it. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "leave behind footprints, only then called a road."
The reading
The road that no one has walked is not yet a road but a possibility. What defines it as a road is the accumulated evidence of passage: the pressed grass, the worn earth, the route recognizable because others have already chosen it. The first person who makes the choice creates, unknowingly, an invitation for everyone who follows.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk saying
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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 留下腳印方稱路 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 留下腳印方稱路 (liú xià jiǎo yìn fāng chēng lù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk saying. 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 留下腳印方稱路?
In Mandarin it is liú xià jiǎo yìn fāng chēng lù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 留下腳印方稱路 aloud in Mandarin.