諺語 · a single proverb
曲則全
Simplified: 曲则全
What does 曲則全 (qū zé quán) mean?
曲則全 (qū zé quán) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "yield, then remain whole." In use it means: By bending, one keeps oneself intact; the one who never yields breaks. 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 Goat.
Literally: "yield, then remain whole."
The reading
What bows survives the wind. What bows survives the season. What bows survives until the sun returns and lifts it back toward the same height-still whole, still rooted, still itself.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 22 (Laozi)
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.
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.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 曲則全 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 曲則全 (qū zé quán) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 22 (Laozi). 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 曲則全?
In Mandarin it is qū zé quán. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 曲則全 aloud in Mandarin.