諺語 · a single proverb
窮則變，變則通，通則久
Simplified: 穷则变，变则通，通则久
What does 窮則變，變則通，通則久 (qióng zé biàn biàn zé tōng tōng zé jiǔ) mean?
窮則變，變則通，通則久 (qióng zé biàn biàn zé tōng tōng zé jiǔ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "exhausted then change, changed then open, open then lasting." In use it means: When you reach an impasse, change; change leads to flow; flow leads to longevity. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "exhausted then change, changed then open, open then lasting."
The reading
The river that hits a cliff does not stop but finds another way, and this is not defeat but intelligence. Exhaustion is the teacher that arrives when all other lessons have been politely declined. The willingness to be changed by the wall is what eventually moves through it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Yi Jing 易經·繫辭下 (Xì Cí II, Commentary on Appended Judgments)
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 窮則變，變則通，通則久 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 窮則變，變則通，通則久 (qióng zé biàn biàn zé tōng tōng zé jiǔ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Yi Jing 易經·繫辭下 (Xì Cí II, Commentary on Appended Judgments). 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 窮則變，變則通，通則久?
In Mandarin it is qióng zé biàn biàn zé tōng tōng zé jiǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 窮則變，變則通，通則久 aloud in Mandarin.