諺語 · a single proverb
三思而後行
Simplified: 三思而后行
What does 三思而後行 (sān sī ér hòu xíng) mean?
三思而後行 (sān sī ér hòu xíng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "think three times, and only then act." In use it means: Deliberate before you act: turn a decision over more than once before letting it out of your hands. (Confucius wryly noted twice may be enough.). 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 Rat.
Literally: "think three times, and only then act."
The reading
You already know the choice you make fast and hot is rarely the one you'd sign in the morning. Let the impulse sit overnight; if it still holds at dawn, it was real, and if it doesn't, the pause just quietly saved you.
The story
The line is from the Analects, in the Gongye Chang chapter, where it is noted that Ji Wenzi thought three times before acting, and Confucius wryly answered that twice would have been enough. It is quoted to counsel deliberation, turning a decision over more than once before letting it out of your hands, without tipping into endless second-guessing.
Let the hot choice sit overnight before you sign it. If the impulse still holds at dawn it was real, and if it does not, the pause has quietly saved you, so build in the one night of thought the decision deserves.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Gongye Chang 公冶長
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 Horse, Year of the Snake, and Year of the Monkey.
Questions
Is 三思而後行 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 三思而後行 (sān sī ér hòu xíng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Analects 論語, Gongye Chang 公冶長. 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 三思而後行?
In Mandarin it is sān sī ér hòu xíng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 三思而後行 aloud in Mandarin.