諺語 · a single proverb
腦中自有黃金屋
Simplified: 脑中自有黄金屋
What does 腦中自有黃金屋 (nǎo zhōng zì yǒu huáng jīn wū) mean?
腦中自有黃金屋 (nǎo zhōng zì yǒu huáng jīn wū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "within the mind naturally resides a golden house." In use it means: Knowledge is the greatest treasure; the mind holds a palace. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "within the mind naturally resides a golden house."
The reading
The house of gold in the mind does not rust and cannot be stolen. Every skill, every book absorbed, every lesson taken to heart adds another chamber to a dwelling that expands without limit and that no circumstance of the external world can repossess. The most portable form of wealth is what the mind has learned to hold.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song Dynasty 宋·趙恆《勸學詩》 (Quàn Xué Shī, Emperor Zhenzong poem)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 腦中自有黃金屋 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 腦中自有黃金屋 (nǎo zhōng zì yǒu huáng jīn wū) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Song Dynasty 宋·趙恆《勸學詩》 (Quàn Xué Shī, Emperor Zhenzong poem). 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 腦中自有黃金屋?
In Mandarin it is nǎo zhōng zì yǒu huáng jīn wū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 腦中自有黃金屋 aloud in Mandarin.