山shān重chóng水shuǐ復fù疑yí無wú路lù,，柳liǔ暗àn花huā明míng又yòu一yī村cūn

What does 山重水復疑無路，柳暗花明又一村 (shān chóng shuǐ fù yí wú lù, liǔ àn huā míng yòu yī cūn) mean?

山重水復疑無路，柳暗花明又一村 (shān chóng shuǐ fù yí wú lù, liǔ àn huā míng yòu yī cūn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "Through layered mountains and winding waters one doubts there is a path, but past dark willows and bright flowers there is another village." In use it means: When things seem hopeless and the way forward appears blocked, a breakthrough or new opportunity often lies just ahead. Despair is frequently the last step before discovery. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.

Literally: "Through layered mountains and winding waters one doubts there is a path, but past dark willows and bright flowers there is another village.."

The reading

The doubt is real, and so is the village on the other side. Both exist at the same time, separated by nothing more than the courage to keep walking through confusion. Nature hides its best gifts behind its most discouraging terrain. The willows darken precisely where the flowers are about to bloom, as if beauty needs a threshold of difficulty to feel earned. Trust the path even when you cannot see where it bends.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusLooks ahead
• Element木 Wood
• Zodiac tie馬 Year of the Horse

Source Lù Yóu (陆游), Yóu Shānxī Cūn (游山西村), Southern Song Dynasty

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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.