諺語 · a single proverb
妙手回春
What does 妙手回春 (miào shǒu huí chūn) mean?
妙手回春 (miào shǒu huí chūn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "skilled hands bring back spring." In use it means: A healer so talented they can restore what seemed lost; remarkable skill that revives the seemingly dead. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "skilled hands bring back spring."
The reading
The patient had given up. The family had given up. The skilled hand arrived and spring returned. Some people carry spring in their fingers: the doctor who heals, the mentor who revives a career, the friend who says the right word at the right time. They do not create life from nothing. They find the life that was hiding and give it permission to grow again.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common medical and literary chengyu; used since Song dynasty
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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 妙手回春 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 妙手回春 (miào shǒu huí chūn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common medical and literary chengyu; used since Song dynasty. 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 妙手回春?
In Mandarin it is miào shǒu huí chūn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 妙手回春 aloud in Mandarin.