諺語 · a single proverb

世shì上shàng無wú難nán事shì，只zhǐ怕pà有yǒu心xīn人rén

Simplified: 世上无难事，只怕有心人

shì shàng wú nán shì zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén

What does 世上無難事，只怕有心人 (shì shàng wú nán shì zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén) mean?

世上無難事，只怕有心人 (shì shàng wú nán shì zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "in this world nothing is hard if the person has determination." In use it means: No obstacle is truly insurmountable when faced with real willpower. The hardness of the task is always relative to the softness of the resolve. 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 Tiger.

Literally: "in this world nothing is hard if the person has determination."

The reading

The wall is the same height for everyone. The difference is that the determined person brings a ladder, and if the ladder is too short, they bring bricks to stand on, and if the bricks run out, they start climbing with their hands. Determination does not remove obstacles. It removes the option of turning around.

What kind of proverb it is

Source variant of 天下無難事; Wu Cheng'en 吳承恩, Journey to the West; Mao era popularization

Sits beside

冰非一日之寒

bīng fēi yī rì zhī hán

Nothing reaches its current state overnight.

少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲

shào zhuàng bù nǔ lì lǎo dà tú shāng bēi

Those who do not work hard in youth can only grieve in old age.

日積月累

rì jī yuè lěi

Through daily and monthly accumulation, great things are built.

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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 世上無難事，只怕有心人 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 世上無難事，只怕有心人 (shì shàng wú nán shì zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from variant of 天下無難事; Wu Cheng'en 吳承恩, Journey to the West; Mao era popularization. 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 世上無難事，只怕有心人?

In Mandarin it is shì shàng wú nán shì zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 世上無難事，只怕有心人 aloud in Mandarin.