諺語 · a single proverb
山美水美人更美
What does 山美水美人更美 (shān měi shuǐ měi rén gèng měi) mean?
山美水美人更美 (shān měi shuǐ měi rén gèng měi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "the mountains are beautiful, the water is beautiful, but the people are more beautiful still." In use it means: Natural beauty is surpassed by the beauty of good people; human warmth is the most stunning landscape. 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 Pig.
Literally: "the mountains are beautiful, the water is beautiful, but the people are more beautiful still."
The reading
The valley took your breath away. Then someone in the valley offered you tea, and the tea was better than the view. Nature arranges rocks and rivers. People arrange kindness, and kindness is the prettier arrangement.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk saying; tourist and hospitality tradition
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 山美水美人更美 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 山美水美人更美 (shān měi shuǐ měi rén gèng měi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk saying; tourist and hospitality tradition. 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 山美水美人更美?
In Mandarin it is shān měi shuǐ měi rén gèng měi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 山美水美人更美 aloud in Mandarin.