諺語 · a single proverb
落日無限好，只是近黃昏
Simplified: 落日无限好，只是近黄昏
What does 落日無限好，只是近黃昏 (luò rì wú xiàn hǎo zhǐ shì jìn huáng hūn) mean?
落日無限好，只是近黃昏 (luò rì wú xiàn hǎo zhǐ shì jìn huáng hūn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "setting sun infinitely beautiful, only that it approaches dusk." In use it means: The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is already near dusk-beauty tinged with the knowledge of ending. 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 Goat.
Literally: "setting sun infinitely beautiful, only that it approaches dusk."
The reading
The light that comes at the end of the day is the most saturated the sky will produce, burning orange and deep red at the very moment it is leaving. Knowing that something beautiful is near its end is not a reason to look away; it is the reason the looking has a particular quality of attention. The ending is part of the light.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Li Shangyin 李商隱·《登樂遊原》 (Dēng Lè Yóu Yuán, Tang Dynasty poem)
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Rabbit.
Questions
Is 落日無限好，只是近黃昏 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 落日無限好，只是近黃昏 (luò rì wú xiàn hǎo zhǐ shì jìn huáng hūn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Li Shangyin 李商隱·《登樂遊原》 (Dēng Lè Yóu Yuán, Tang Dynasty poem). 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 落日無限好，只是近黃昏?
In Mandarin it is luò rì wú xiàn hǎo zhǐ shì jìn huáng hūn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 落日無限好，只是近黃昏 aloud in Mandarin.