諺語 · a single proverb
人而無信，不知其可也
Simplified: 人而无信，不知其可也
What does 人而無信，不知其可也 (rén ér wú xìn, bù zhī qí kě yě) mean?
人而無信，不知其可也 (rén ér wú xìn, bù zhī qí kě yě) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a person without trustworthiness, I do not know what he is good for." In use it means: Without keeping one's word, a person cannot function among others at all; trust is the crossbar that lets the cart move. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "a person without trustworthiness, I do not know what he is good for."
The reading
Your word is the quietest thing you own and the most load-bearing. Break it in small ways and no one announces it, but the cart stops rolling anyway. People simply stop handing you the reins, and you rarely get told why.
The story
The line is from the Analects, in the Wei Zheng chapter, where Confucius says that a person without trustworthiness is like a cart without its crossbar, and he does not know what such a person is good for. It is used to name trust as the one part that lets the cart move, the quiet, load-bearing thing without which a person cannot function among others.
Treat your word as the most load-bearing thing you own, and keep even the small promises. Break them and no one announces it, but people stop handing you the reins and rarely tell you why, so guard the crossbar that keeps you moving among others.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Wei Zheng 為政
Sits beside
與朋友交，言而有信
yǔ péng yǒu jiāo, yán ér yǒu xìn
The core of friendship is that what you say can be relied on.
路遙知馬力，日久見人心
lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn
Character and loyalty are proven only over time.
三思而後行
sān sī ér hòu xíng
Deliberate before you act: turn a decision over more than once before letting it out of your hands.
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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Horse, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 人而無信，不知其可也 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人而無信，不知其可也 (rén ér wú xìn, bù zhī qí kě yě) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Analects 論語, Wei Zheng 為政. 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 人而無信，不知其可也?
In Mandarin it is rén ér wú xìn, bù zhī qí kě yě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人而無信，不知其可也 aloud in Mandarin.