諺語 · a single proverb
南柯一夢
Simplified: 南柯一梦
What does 南柯一夢 (nán kē yī mèng) mean?
南柯一夢 (nán kē yī mèng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "a dream under the southern branch." In use it means: Worldly glory is as fleeting as a dream; what seems grand and lasting can vanish in an instant. 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: "a dream under the southern branch."
The reading
He lived a lifetime in the dream: marriage, children, a governorship, wars won and lost. Then he woke under the tree and found an ant colony in the roots. The whole kingdom had been ants. Everything that felt permanent, everything that felt important, measured against the length of an afternoon nap.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tang dynasty tale, Li Gongzuo 李公佐, The Governor of Nanke (南柯太守傳)
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 南柯一夢 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 南柯一夢 (nán kē yī mèng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tang dynasty tale, Li Gongzuo 李公佐, The Governor of Nanke (南柯太守傳). 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 南柯一夢?
In Mandarin it is nán kē yī mèng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 南柯一夢 aloud in Mandarin.