諺語 · a single proverb
山有真面目
What does 山有真面目 (shān yǒu zhēn miàn mù) mean?
山有真面目 (shān yǒu zhēn miàn mù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "the mountain has its true face." In use it means: Beneath all interpretations and angles, there is an actual reality; the object exists independent of the viewer's perspective. 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 Snake.
Literally: "the mountain has its true face."
The reading
A hundred painters will produce a hundred versions of the mountain. None of them is the mountain. The mountain is the thing that remains when the last painter has gone home. Reality does not depend on observation. It depends on itself.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Philosophical tradition; Su Shi 蘇軾 influence
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 山有真面目 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 山有真面目 (shān yǒu zhēn miàn mù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Philosophical tradition; Su Shi 蘇軾 influence. 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 山有真面目?
In Mandarin it is shān yǒu zhēn miàn mù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 山有真面目 aloud in Mandarin.