諺語 · a single proverb

人rén能néng常cháng清qīng靜jìng,，天tiān地dì悉xī皆jiē歸guī

Simplified: 人能常清静，天地悉皆归

rén néng cháng qīng jìng, tiān dì xī jiē guī

What does 人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸 (rén néng cháng qīng jìng, tiān dì xī jiē guī) mean?

人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸 (rén néng cháng qīng jìng, tiān dì xī jiē guī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "If a person can remain constantly clear and still, heaven and earth will all return to them." In use it means: When one maintains inner clarity and stillness as a constant state, the natural forces of heaven and earth align with and flow toward that person. 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 Rabbit.

Literally: "If a person can remain constantly clear and still, heaven and earth will all return to them."

The reading

The Qingjing Jing offers a startling proposition: heaven and earth are not indifferent to your inner state. The person who achieves genuine, sustained stillness becomes a kind of gravitational center that the natural world organizes itself around. This is not magical thinking but an observation about how composure affects everything from decision-making to the behavior of people in your presence. A calm center in a chaotic room changes the room. Sustained over years, it changes a life.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Qingjing Jing (太上老君說常清靜經), Daoist scripture, Tang Dynasty

Sits beside

冰清玉潔

bīng qīng yù jié

Spotless and pure character.

張三李四

zhāng sān lǐ sì

Any random person.

忙中不忘善

máng zhōng bù wàng shàn

Even in the middle of busy activity, do not forget to act with kindness.

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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸 (rén néng cháng qīng jìng, tiān dì xī jiē guī) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Qingjing Jing (太上老君說常清靜經), Daoist scripture, Tang Dynasty. 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 人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸?

In Mandarin it is rén néng cháng qīng jìng, tiān dì xī jiē guī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸 aloud in Mandarin.