諺語 · a single proverb
天下烏鴉一般黑
Simplified: 天下乌鸦一般黑
What does 天下烏鴉一般黑 (tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi) mean?
天下烏鴉一般黑 (tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "all crows under heaven are equally black." In use it means: Corruption and bad behavior are universal in certain groups or institutions; they are all the same. 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 Rooster.
Literally: "all crows under heaven are equally black."
The reading
You can change the crow but you will get the same color. Some problems are not individual. They are structural. The person who thinks replacing one crow with another will change the shade has not understood what they are looking at.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb; common social commentary
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 天下烏鴉一般黑 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 天下烏鴉一般黑 (tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from folk proverb; common social commentary. 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 天下烏鴉一般黑?
In Mandarin it is tiān xià wū yā yī bān hēi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 天下烏鴉一般黑 aloud in Mandarin.