諺語 · a single proverb
近朱者赤，近墨者黑
What does 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 (jìn zhū zhě chì jìn mò zhě hēi) mean?
近朱者赤，近墨者黑 (jìn zhū zhě chì jìn mò zhě hēi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "near red pigment become red, near black ink become black." In use it means: You are influenced by those you spend time with; environment shapes character. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "near red pigment become red, near black ink become black."
The reading
The cloth dropped into red dye does not resist the color; proximity does the work that intention could not. What surrounds you begins to enter you, the way the fragrance of the room enters the clothing worn in it. Choose your dye carefully, and remember that the people around you are the bath you are sitting in.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Fu Xian 傅玄·《太子少傅箴》 (Tài Zǐ Shào Fù Zhēn, Admonition to the Prince's Tutor)
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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 (jìn zhū zhě chì jìn mò zhě hēi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Fu Xian 傅玄·《太子少傅箴》 (Tài Zǐ Shào Fù Zhēn, Admonition to the Prince's Tutor). 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 近朱者赤，近墨者黑?
In Mandarin it is jìn zhū zhě chì jìn mò zhě hēi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 aloud in Mandarin.