諺語 · a single proverb
人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風
Simplified: 人怕老来穷，禾怕寒露风
What does 人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風 (rén pà lǎo lái qióng, hé pà hán lù fēng) mean?
人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風 (rén pà lǎo lái qióng, hé pà hán lù fēng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "People fear poverty in old age, rice fears the Cold Dew wind." In use it means: Just as humans dread being destitute in their later years, rice plants are most vulnerable to cold wind during the Hanlu solar term, when a sudden chill can prevent the grain from filling properly at the last stage. 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 Dog.
Literally: "People fear poverty in old age, rice fears the Cold Dew wind."
The reading
The pairing feels unequal at first, a human worry beside a crop's weakness, but farmers understood both as versions of the same predicament. Trouble arriving late, after the hard work is done but before the reward is secured, cuts deepest. A cold gust across the paddy at Hanlu can undo months of careful tending, just as misfortune in old age can erase decades of labor. Both warnings say the same thing: the final stretch demands as much vigilance as the beginning.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Folk proverb from southern rice-growing provinces, widely cited in Qing-era agricultural texts and rural almanacs
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 Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風 (rén pà lǎo lái qióng, hé pà hán lù fēng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Folk proverb from southern rice-growing provinces, widely cited in Qing-era agricultural texts and rural almanacs. 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 人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風?
In Mandarin it is rén pà lǎo lái qióng, hé pà hán lù fēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人怕老來窮，禾怕寒露風 aloud in Mandarin.