諺語 · a single proverb
路遙知馬力，日久見人心
Simplified: 路遥知马力，日久见人心
What does 路遙知馬力，日久見人心 (lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn) mean?
路遙知馬力，日久見人心 (lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a long road tests a horse's strength; long days reveal a person's heart." In use it means: Character and loyalty are proven only over time; you cannot know someone's true heart until the road has been long enough to wear the pretense off. 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: "a long road tests a horse's strength; long days reveal a person's heart."
The reading
Do not decide who someone is in the first season. Give it the long road: the boring stretches, the setbacks, the years. Watch what stays constant. Time is the one witness nobody can bribe.
The story
This is a folk proverb carried in Yuan-era drama, a matched couplet that measures worth by time: a long road tests a horse's strength, and long days reveal a person's heart. It is used to counsel patience in judging others, the recognition that pretense wears off only over distance and that character shows in the boring stretches.
Do not decide who someone is in the first season. Give it the long road, the setbacks and the dull years, and watch what stays constant, because time is the one witness nobody can bribe and the only test that wears the pretense off.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Yuan-era drama / folk proverb (諺語); attested Wiktionary
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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Dog, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 路遙知馬力，日久見人心 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 路遙知馬力，日久見人心 (lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Yuan-era drama / folk proverb (諺語); attested Wiktionary. 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 路遙知馬力，日久見人心?
In Mandarin it is lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 路遙知馬力，日久見人心 aloud in Mandarin.