諺語 · a single proverb
三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒
Simplified: 三月茵陈四月蒿，五月砍来当柴烧
What does 三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒 (sān yuè yīn chén sì yuè hāo, wǔ yuè kǎn lái dāng chái shāo) mean?
三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒 (sān yuè yīn chén sì yuè hāo, wǔ yuè kǎn lái dāng chái shāo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "In the third month it is yinchen medicine, in the fourth month just mugwort, in the fifth month only firewood to burn." In use it means: The herb Artemisia capillaris is medicinally potent only when picked in the third lunar month. By the fourth month it becomes ordinary mugwort, and by the fifth it is useful only as kindling. Timing determines the value of the same plant entirely. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Tiger.
Literally: "In the third month it is yinchen medicine, in the fourth month just mugwort, in the fifth month only firewood to burn."
The reading
The very same stalk growing from the very same root passes from medicine to weed to firewood across three months. Nothing about its appearance changes dramatically, yet its inner properties shift entirely. A healer who picks it late may as well be gathering sticks. This saying from traditional herbal medicine carries a wider caution: the value of an opportunity is not fixed, and what was potent last month may be worthless today because its moment has passed.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese medicine herb-gathering proverb, referenced in herbal pharmacopoeias and folk medical collections
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 Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒 (sān yuè yīn chén sì yuè hāo, wǔ yuè kǎn lái dāng chái shāo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese medicine herb-gathering proverb, referenced in herbal pharmacopoeias and folk medical collections. 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 三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒?
In Mandarin it is sān yuè yīn chén sì yuè hāo, wǔ yuè kǎn lái dāng chái shāo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 三月茵陳四月蒿，五月砍來當柴燒 aloud in Mandarin.