諺語 · a single proverb
踏破鐵鞋無覓處
Simplified: 踏破铁鞋无觅处
What does 踏破鐵鞋無覓處 (tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù) mean?
踏破鐵鞋無覓處 (tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "wearing out iron shoes searching with no result." In use it means: After exhaustive searching comes up empty, the answer often appears effortlessly when you stop looking. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "wearing out iron shoes searching with no result."
The reading
You walked until the iron soles wore through. You searched every road, every door, every dead end. Nothing. Then you sat down, stopped looking, and there it was, right beside you, waiting for you to be still enough to notice. The universe has a strange sense of timing: it gives you the answer the moment you stop demanding it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Lu You 陸游, poem; extended folk saying: 得來全不費工夫
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 踏破鐵鞋無覓處 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 踏破鐵鞋無覓處 (tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Lu You 陸游, poem; extended folk saying: 得來全不費工夫. 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 踏破鐵鞋無覓處?
In Mandarin it is tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 踏破鐵鞋無覓處 aloud in Mandarin.