諺語 · a single proverb
韜光養晦
Simplified: 韬光养晦
What does 韜光養晦 (tāo guāng yǎng huì) mean?
韜光養晦 (tāo guāng yǎng huì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "conceal your brilliance and bide your time." In use it means: Keeping a low profile while building strength; strategic modesty that accumulates power in private. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "conceal your brilliance and bide your time."
The reading
The lamp under the basket is still lit. The darkness is not ignorance. It is strategy. The person who shows their full hand before the game requires it is not confident. They are wasteful. The display comes when the display serves a purpose. Until then: quietly, steadily, grow.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common strategic idiom; attributed to Deng Xiaoping's reform era
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 Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 韜光養晦 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 韜光養晦 (tāo guāng yǎng huì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common strategic idiom; attributed to Deng Xiaoping's reform era. 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 韜光養晦?
In Mandarin it is tāo guāng yǎng huì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 韜光養晦 aloud in Mandarin.