諺語 · a single proverb
強扭的瓜不甜
Simplified: 强扭的瓜不甜
What does 強扭的瓜不甜 (qiáng niǔ de guā bù tián) mean?
強扭的瓜不甜 (qiáng niǔ de guā bù tián) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a melon twisted from the vine by force is not sweet." In use it means: Anything achieved through coercion rather than natural readiness will not satisfy. 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 Goat.
Literally: "a melon twisted from the vine by force is not sweet."
The reading
You can force the fruit off the vine, but you cannot force it to taste good. The sweetness was time-dependent, and you ran out of patience before the sugar arrived. Relationships, results, decisions. They all follow the same rule. Forced things do not nourish.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb; common relationship wisdom
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 強扭的瓜不甜 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 強扭的瓜不甜 (qiáng niǔ de guā bù tián) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb; common relationship wisdom. 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 強扭的瓜不甜?
In Mandarin it is qiáng niǔ de guā bù tián. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 強扭的瓜不甜 aloud in Mandarin.