諺語 · a single proverb
如人飲水，冷暖自知
Simplified: 如人饮水，冷暖自知
What does 如人飲水，冷暖自知 (rú rén yǐn shuǐ lěng nuǎn zì zhī) mean?
如人飲水，冷暖自知 (rú rén yǐn shuǐ lěng nuǎn zì zhī) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "like a person drinking water, only they know if it is cold or warm." In use it means: Some experiences cannot be explained to others. Only the person going through it knows what it really feels like. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "like a person drinking water, only they know if it is cold or warm."
The reading
You can describe the temperature of the water. You can hold the cup up. But the person across the table still does not know what it feels like in your throat. Some knowledge is private by nature. Stop trying to transfer it with words and let people drink their own water.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Buddhist saying; attributed to 永嘉大師 (Yongjia Dashi, Tang dynasty)
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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 如人飲水，冷暖自知 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 如人飲水，冷暖自知 (rú rén yǐn shuǐ lěng nuǎn zì zhī) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Buddhist saying; attributed to 永嘉大師 (Yongjia Dashi, Tang dynasty). 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 如人飲水，冷暖自知?
In Mandarin it is rú rén yǐn shuǐ lěng nuǎn zì zhī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 如人飲水，冷暖自知 aloud in Mandarin.