諺語 · a single proverb
人心齊，泰山移
Simplified: 人心齐，泰山移
What does 人心齊，泰山移 (rén xīn qí tài shān yí) mean?
人心齊，泰山移 (rén xīn qí tài shān yí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "people's hearts united, Mount Tai moves." In use it means: When people are united in purpose, even the greatest obstacles can be overcome. 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 Ox.
Literally: "people's hearts united, Mount Tai moves."
The reading
The stone that no single pair of hands can lift yields to ten pairs working as one, and the mountain that defeats the individual yields to the village that agrees. Unity is not the absence of difference but the presence of a shared direction large enough to contain the differences. Mountains move slowly, but they move.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Tiger, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 人心齊，泰山移 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 人心齊，泰山移 (rén xīn qí tài shān yí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb. 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 人心齊，泰山移?
In Mandarin it is rén xīn qí tài shān yí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 人心齊，泰山移 aloud in Mandarin.