諺語 · a single proverb
守望相助
What does 守望相助 (shǒu wàng xiāng zhù) mean?
守望相助 (shǒu wàng xiāng zhù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "watch over each other and help each other." In use it means: Neighbours looking out for one another. The basic contract of a community. 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 Dog.
Literally: "watch over each other and help each other."
The reading
I watch your house when you are away. You watch mine. This is not friendship. It is something older: the agreement that living near someone means something. The fence between us is not a wall. It is a shelf where we leave things for each other.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Mencius 孟子 (滕文公上)
Sits beside
外甥打燈籠——照舅（照舊）
wài shēng dǎ dēng long——zhào jiù (zhào jiù)
A pun on 照舅 (illuminating the uncle) and 照舊 (as before).
家有黃金，不如有個好鄰居
jiā yǒu huáng jīn bù rú yǒu gè hǎo lín jū
A good neighbor is worth more than household gold.
龍生龍，鳳生鳳，老鼠生的兒子會打洞
lóng shēng lóng, fèng shēng fèng, lǎo shǔ shēng de ér zi huì dǎ dòng
Children tend to inherit or follow the traits and social standing of their parents.
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 守望相助 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 守望相助 (shǒu wàng xiāng zhù) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Mencius 孟子 (滕文公上). 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 守望相助?
In Mandarin it is shǒu wàng xiāng zhù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 守望相助 aloud in Mandarin.