諺語 · a single proverb
人心隔肚皮
What does 人心隔肚皮 (rén xīn gé dù pí) mean?
人心隔肚皮 (rén xīn gé dù pí) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "the human heart is separated by a layer of belly skin." In use it means: You can never truly see inside another person's heart; their real thoughts are hidden behind a physical barrier. 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 Rat.
Literally: "the human heart is separated by a layer of belly skin."
The reading
The belly skin is thin and the heart is close, and yet you cannot read it. This is the fundamental privacy of being human: every person you know is carrying a set of thoughts you will never fully access. This is not deception. It is architecture. Accept the wall and work with what comes over it, which is behavior. Behavior is the only reliable biography.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk proverb; widely used in Chinese everyday speech
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 人心隔肚皮 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人心隔肚皮 (rén xīn gé dù pí) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Common folk proverb; widely used in Chinese everyday speech. 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 人心隔肚皮?
In Mandarin it is rén xīn gé dù pí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人心隔肚皮 aloud in Mandarin.