諺語 · a single proverb
瓜熟蒂落
What does 瓜熟蒂落 (guā shú dì luò) mean?
瓜熟蒂落 (guā shú dì luò) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "when the melon ripens, the stalk falls." In use it means: When conditions have matured, the result comes of its own accord. 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 Goat.
Literally: "when the melon ripens, the stalk falls."
The reading
You have been tugging at something that is not ready to come free, and the tugging is bruising it. A ripe thing lets go on its own, quietly, when you are looking elsewhere. Tend it, feed it, and stop pulling on the stem.
The story
The image is preserved in the Daoist collection 雲笈七籤: when the melon is ripe the stalk lets go of its own accord, quietly, without a hand pulling on it. It describes results that cannot be forced, only allowed, once the conditions beneath them have fully matured.
Notice where you are tugging at something not ready to come free, and see how the tugging bruises it. Feed the thing, wait, and let it drop into your hand on the day you happen to be looking elsewhere.
What kind of proverb it is
Source 雲笈七籤
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Horse.
Questions
Is 瓜熟蒂落 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 瓜熟蒂落 (guā shú dì luò) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from 雲笈七籤. 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 瓜熟蒂落?
In Mandarin it is guā shú dì luò. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 瓜熟蒂落 aloud in Mandarin.