諺語 · a single proverb
天下本無事
Simplified: 天下本无事
What does 天下本無事 (tiān xià běn wú shì) mean?
天下本無事 (tiān xià běn wú shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "under heaven there is originally nothing." In use it means: Most troubles are created by people who stir them up; peace is the natural state. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "under heaven there is originally nothing."
The reading
The still pond does not become turbulent by itself. Most of what disrupts the natural peace is introduced by a human hand, usually out of ambition, fear, or mischief. The natural condition of things, left alone, tends toward a kind of order. This is not naivety but observation.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tang Dynasty 唐·韓愈 (Hán Yù) derived; common philosophical saying
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 天下本無事 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 天下本無事 (tiān xià běn wú shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Tang Dynasty 唐·韓愈 (Hán Yù) derived; common philosophical saying. 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 天下本無事?
In Mandarin it is tiān xià běn wú shì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 天下本無事 aloud in Mandarin.