諺語 · a single proverb
人善被人欺，馬善被人騎
Simplified: 人善被人欺，马善被人骑
What does 人善被人欺，馬善被人騎 (rén shàn bèi rén qī mǎ shàn bèi rén qí) mean?
人善被人欺，馬善被人騎 (rén shàn bèi rén qī mǎ shàn bèi rén qí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a kind person gets bullied, a gentle horse gets ridden." In use it means: Excessive gentleness without boundaries invites exploitation. Kindness without firmness is a door without a lock. 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 Horse.
Literally: "a kind person gets bullied, a gentle horse gets ridden."
The reading
The gentle horse gets saddled more often because it does not bite. The kind person gets asked more often because they do not say no. Kindness is a virtue. Boundaryless kindness is an invitation. The distinction is not cruelty. It is the willingness to say this far and no further without losing the gentleness.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb 民間諺語; widely quoted in Ming-Qing moral texts
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 人善被人欺，馬善被人騎 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人善被人欺，馬善被人騎 (rén shàn bèi rén qī mǎ shàn bèi rén qí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb 民間諺語; widely quoted in Ming-Qing moral texts. 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 人善被人欺，馬善被人騎?
In Mandarin it is rén shàn bèi rén qī mǎ shàn bèi rén qí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人善被人欺，馬善被人騎 aloud in Mandarin.