諺語 · a single proverb
千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重
Simplified: 千里送鹅毛，礼轻情意重
What does 千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重 (qiān lǐ sòng é máo lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng) mean?
千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重 (qiān lǐ sòng é máo lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "send a goose feather a thousand miles; the gift is light but the feeling is heavy." In use it means: A small gift sent from far away carries more meaning than its material value; the thought counts most. 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: "send a goose feather a thousand miles; the gift is light but the feeling is heavy."
The reading
The feather weighs nothing. The thousand miles weigh everything. Value is not mass. It is distance traveled, difficulty overcome, the fact that someone thought of you from that far away. The feather proves the journey, and the journey is the gift.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song dynasty literary origin; folk proverb
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 Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重 (qiān lǐ sòng é máo lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Song dynasty literary origin; folk proverb. 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 千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重?
In Mandarin it is qiān lǐ sòng é máo lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 千里送鵝毛，禮輕情意重 aloud in Mandarin.