諺語 · a single proverb
蚍蜉撼樹
Simplified: 蚍蜉撼树
What does 蚍蜉撼樹 (pí fú hàn shù) mean?
蚍蜉撼樹 (pí fú hàn shù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "An ant tries to shake a great tree." In use it means: A hopelessly overmatched effort, attempting something far beyond one's strength. Used to mock arrogance or to caution against reckless challenges. 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 Rat.
Literally: "An ant tries to shake a great tree.."
The reading
There is a difference between courage and delusion. Courage faces a worthy opponent with open eyes. Delusion refuses to see the size of what stands before it. The ant does not lack effort. It lacks proportion. Before you push against anything, measure honestly whether you are testing your strength or wasting your life.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Yu (韩愈), Tang Dynasty, poem 《调张籍》
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 蚍蜉撼樹 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 蚍蜉撼樹 (pí fú hàn shù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Han Yu (韩愈), Tang Dynasty, poem 《调张籍》. 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 蚍蜉撼樹?
In Mandarin it is pí fú hàn shù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 蚍蜉撼樹 aloud in Mandarin.