諺語 · a single proverb
事在人為
Simplified: 事在人为
What does 事在人為 (shì zài rén wéi) mean?
事在人為 (shì zài rén wéi) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the matter lies in what a person does." In use it means: Whether a thing succeeds depends on human effort, not on fate. 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: "the matter lies in what a person does."
The reading
You keep asking whether it is meant to be, as if the answer were sealed somewhere out of reach. It is not sealed. The thing waits to see what you will do about it. Fate hands you the clay; the shape is your affair.
The story
The phrase is set down in Feng Menglong's Ming-dynasty 東周列國志, the Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou States: whether a matter succeeds lies in what a person does. It answers the fatalist directly, insisting that the outcome is not sealed somewhere out of reach but waits on human effort.
Stop asking whether the thing is meant to be, as though the answer were locked away from you. Fate hands you the clay; the shape is your affair, so decide what you will actually do about it this week.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Feng Menglong 馮夢龍, 東周列國志 (Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou States), ch. 69, Ming dynasty
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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Ox, Year of the Horse, and Year of the Dragon.
Questions
Is 事在人為 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 事在人為 (shì zài rén wéi) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Feng Menglong 馮夢龍, 東周列國志 (Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou States), ch. 69, Ming dynasty. 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 事在人為?
In Mandarin it is shì zài rén wéi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 事在人為 aloud in Mandarin.