諺語 · a single proverb
人情冷暖
What does 人情冷暖 (rén qíng lěng nuǎn) mean?
人情冷暖 (rén qíng lěng nuǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the warmth and coldness of human sentiment." In use it means: People's attitudes change with your fortune; relationships reveal their true temperature when circumstances shift. 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 Horse.
Literally: "the warmth and coldness of human sentiment."
The reading
They crowded around when the sun was out. Now the clouds have come and the crowd has thinned. This is not a surprise. It is information. The temperature of human sentiment is a weather report, not a moral judgment. Read it, dress accordingly, and remember who stayed.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common literary expression; Zengguang Xianwen 增廣賢文
Sits beside
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 人情冷暖 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人情冷暖 (rén qíng lěng nuǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common literary expression; Zengguang Xianwen 增廣賢文. 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 人情冷暖?
In Mandarin it is rén qíng lěng nuǎn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人情冷暖 aloud in Mandarin.