諺語 · a single proverb
盡人事，聽天命
Simplified: 尽人事，听天命
What does 盡人事，聽天命 (jìn rén shì tīng tiān mìng) mean?
盡人事，聽天命 (jìn rén shì tīng tiān mìng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "do everything humanly possible, then listen to heaven's decree." In use it means: Put in your full effort, then accept whatever outcome arrives; the split between responsibility and surrender. 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: "do everything humanly possible, then listen to heaven's decree."
The reading
You did everything. Every option, every angle, every late night. The result is not entirely in your hands, and it never was. The effort was your job. The outcome is the universe's. The peace comes from knowing you held up your end. The rest is the weather.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common Confucian-Daoist synthesis; widely cited folk wisdom
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 Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 盡人事，聽天命 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 盡人事，聽天命 (jìn rén shì tīng tiān mìng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common Confucian-Daoist synthesis; widely cited folk wisdom. 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 盡人事，聽天命?
In Mandarin it is jìn rén shì tīng tiān mìng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 盡人事，聽天命 aloud in Mandarin.