諺語 · a single proverb
屈指可數
Simplified: 屈指可数
What does 屈指可數 (qū zhǐ kě shǔ) mean?
屈指可數 (qū zhǐ kě shǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "can be counted on bent fingers." In use it means: So few they are easily enumerated; a quantity rare enough to track by hand. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "can be counted on bent fingers."
The reading
You do not need a spreadsheet. The count fits on one hand. That rarity is the point. The things that can be counted on fingers are the things worth counting: the people who stayed, the decisions that changed everything, the moments when the direction shifted. Important things tend to be countable.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common literary expression; classical Chinese idiom
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 屈指可數 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 屈指可數 (qū zhǐ kě shǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common literary expression; classical Chinese idiom. 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 屈指可數?
In Mandarin it is qū zhǐ kě shǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 屈指可數 aloud in Mandarin.