諺語 · a single proverb
人拋未安
Simplified: 人抛未安
What does 人拋未安 (rén pāo wèi ān) mean?
人拋未安 (rén pāo wèi ān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a person who has abandoned something still feels unsettled." In use it means: Letting go of something that mattered does not immediately bring peace; the residue of attachment persists after the release. 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: "a person who has abandoned something still feels unsettled."
The reading
You put it down. Your hands are empty. But the weight is still in your shoulders, still in the way you reach for something that is not there anymore. Letting go is a physical act. The emotional letting go comes later, on its own schedule, and you cannot rush it by being right about the decision.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Regional folk saying; common in southern Chinese dialects
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 人拋未安 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人拋未安 (rén pāo wèi ān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Regional folk saying; common in southern Chinese dialects. 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 人拋未安?
In Mandarin it is rén pāo wèi ān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人拋未安 aloud in Mandarin.