諺語 · a single proverb
搧風點火
Simplified: 扇风点火
What does 搧風點火 (shān fēng diǎn huǒ) mean?
搧風點火 (shān fēng diǎn huǒ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "fanning the wind and lighting the fire." In use it means: Deliberately provoking conflict between others; the instigator who creates trouble and then steps back to watch. 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 Rat.
Literally: "fanning the wind and lighting the fire."
The reading
They did not participate in the fight. They started it. A word here, a suggestion there, a carefully placed piece of information that made two calm people angry at each other. The instigator's fingerprints are on the match, not the burn, and they are hard to trace unless you know to look.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk expression; social and political commentary
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 Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 搧風點火 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 搧風點火 (shān fēng diǎn huǒ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Common folk expression; social and political commentary. 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 搧風點火?
In Mandarin it is shān fēng diǎn huǒ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 搧風點火 aloud in Mandarin.