諺語 · a single proverb

實shí事shì求qiú是shì

Simplified: 实事求是

shí shì qiú shì

What does 實事求是 (shí shì qiú shì) mean?

實事求是 (shí shì qiú shì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "actual matters seek truth." In use it means: Seek truth from facts; be realistic and practical. 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 Ox.

Literally: "actual matters seek truth."

The reading

The map must not be more beautiful than the territory it describes. What is true has a texture, a resistance to wishful redrawing, and the person who keeps returning to the actual thing rather than the comfortable idea of it lives in a more reliable world. Truth is not cold; it is simply honest about the weather.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Han Shu 漢書·河間獻王傳 (Hé Jiān Xiàn Wáng biography)

Sits beside

坐井觀天

zuò jǐng guān tiān

Have a limited view.

寸進尺退

cùn jìn chǐ tuì

Gain an inch and lose a foot.

早知今日，何必當初

zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū

Had I known how it would turn out, I would have acted differently.

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 Ox, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.

Questions

Is 實事求是 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 實事求是 (shí shì qiú shì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Han Shu 漢書·河間獻王傳 (Hé Jiān Xiàn Wáng biography). 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 實事求是?

In Mandarin it is shí shì qiú shì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 實事求是 aloud in Mandarin.