諺語 · a single proverb
木已成舟
What does 木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu) mean?
木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the wood has already become a boat." In use it means: What is done cannot be undone. The tree that was cut and shaped into a boat cannot become a tree again. Accept the new form and work with it. 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 Goat.
Literally: "the wood has already become a boat."
The reading
You cannot un-bake a cake. You cannot un-send a letter. The wood is a boat now, and no amount of wishing will make it a tree again. The energy spent wanting the tree back is energy stolen from learning to sail the boat. Acceptance is not defeat. It is the transfer of effort from the impossible to the possible.
What kind of proverb it is
Source classical idiom; Qing-novel usage (Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 allusion)
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 木已成舟 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from classical idiom; Qing-novel usage (Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 allusion). 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 木已成舟?
In Mandarin it is mù yǐ chéng zhōu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 木已成舟 aloud in Mandarin.