諺語 · a single proverb
四海之內皆兄弟
Simplified: 四海之内皆兄弟
What does 四海之內皆兄弟 (sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì) mean?
四海之內皆兄弟 (sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "within the four seas all are brothers." In use it means: Everyone under heaven belongs to the same family. Geography and language divide, but the shared experience of being human connects. 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 Pig.
Literally: "within the four seas all are brothers."
The reading
The stranger who helps you change a tire in the rain does not ask where you are from. For ten minutes, in the wet and the cold, you are just two people solving the same problem. That feeling. That is the original relationship. Everything else is a border someone drew later.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Book 12 (Yan Yuan 顏淵, ch. 5); attributed to Zixia 子夏
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 四海之內皆兄弟 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 四海之內皆兄弟 (sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Analects 論語, Book 12 (Yan Yuan 顏淵, ch. 5); attributed to Zixia 子夏. 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 四海之內皆兄弟?
In Mandarin it is sì hǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōng dì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 四海之內皆兄弟 aloud in Mandarin.