諺語 · a single proverb
秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底
Simplified: 秋前北风秋后雨，秋后北风干河底
What does 秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底 (qiū qián běi fēng qiū hòu yǔ, qiū hòu běi fēng gān hé dǐ) mean?
秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底 (qiū qián běi fēng qiū hòu yǔ, qiū hòu běi fēng gān hé dǐ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "North wind before autumn brings rain after autumn; north wind after autumn dries the riverbed." In use it means: A north wind before the autumn equinox predicts a wet post-equinox period, but a north wind after the equinox signals prolonged drought severe enough to dry out rivers entirely. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "North wind before autumn brings rain after autumn; north wind after autumn dries the riverbed."
The reading
The same wind from the same direction carries opposite forecasts depending on which side of the equinox it blows. Before the turning point, a northern gust pushes moisture systems southward, loading the air with future rain. After the turning point, that same gust sweeps moisture away and locks in dry cold. The equinox acts as a hinge that reverses the meaning of identical conditions, and farmers who tracked wind direction against the calendar could read their water future weeks in advance.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Weather prediction proverb from northern China, linked to autumn equinox forecasting traditions in farming communities
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
大道至簡
dà dào zhì jiǎn
The deepest truths are plain.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底 (qiū qián běi fēng qiū hòu yǔ, qiū hòu běi fēng gān hé dǐ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Weather prediction proverb from northern China, linked to autumn equinox forecasting traditions in farming communities. 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 秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底?
In Mandarin it is qiū qián běi fēng qiū hòu yǔ, qiū hòu běi fēng gān hé dǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 秋前北風秋後雨，秋後北風乾河底 aloud in Mandarin.