諺語 · a single proverb
天下沒有不散的宴席
Simplified: 天下没有不散的宴席
What does 天下沒有不散的宴席 (tiān xià méi yǒu bù sàn de yàn xí) mean?
天下沒有不散的宴席 (tiān xià méi yǒu bù sàn de yàn xí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "under heaven there is no banquet that does not end." In use it means: All good things come to an end; nothing lasts forever, and that is not a tragedy. 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 Goat.
Literally: "under heaven there is no banquet that does not end."
The reading
The food was good. The company was better. And it is over. That does not make it less real. It makes it more real. The ending is what gives the evening its shape. Enjoy the meal. Carry the memory. Let the table be cleared.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 (Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹)
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 Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 天下沒有不散的宴席 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 天下沒有不散的宴席 (tiān xià méi yǒu bù sàn de yàn xí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 (Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹). 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 天下沒有不散的宴席?
In Mandarin it is tiān xià méi yǒu bù sàn de yàn xí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 天下沒有不散的宴席 aloud in Mandarin.