諺語 · a single proverb
山高水長
Simplified: 山高水长
What does 山高水長 (shān gāo shuǐ cháng) mean?
山高水長 (shān gāo shuǐ cháng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "mountains high, waters long." In use it means: Enduring like mountains and rivers; the lasting influence of a virtuous person. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "mountains high, waters long."
The reading
The person of genuine virtue leaves behind something as stable as the mountain and as continuous as the river. Their influence does not diminish with their presence because it was not dependent on the theater of their being there; it was embedded in what they actually were. Long after, the mountain and the river remain, describing them.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹·《嚴先生祠堂記》 (Yán Xiānsheng Cí Táng Jì, Song Dynasty essay)
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 山高水長 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 山高水長 (shān gāo shuǐ cháng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹·《嚴先生祠堂記》 (Yán Xiānsheng Cí Táng Jì, Song Dynasty essay). 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 山高水長?
In Mandarin it is shān gāo shuǐ cháng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 山高水長 aloud in Mandarin.