諺語 · a single proverb
天道酬勤
What does 天道酬勤 (tiān dào chóu qín) mean?
天道酬勤 (tiān dào chóu qín) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "the way of heaven rewards diligence." In use it means: Heaven repays those who labor without slackening. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "the way of heaven rewards diligence."
The reading
You will not always see who is keeping score, and some nights it feels like no one is. But the sky has a long memory for effort. Keep working when the reward is nowhere in sight; the ledger is being kept in an ink you cannot read yet.
The story
The four characters are a later Neo-Confucian maxim of the Song and Ming, built on the Yijing line about the Qian hexagram, that Heaven moves with vigor: the way of Heaven rewards diligence. It expresses the conviction that steady, unslackening labor is repaid, even when no reward is yet in sight.
Keep working the days when it feels like no one is keeping score, because the sky has a long memory for effort. Do the unglamorous work now, and trust the ledger is being kept in an ink you cannot read yet.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song to Ming Neo-Confucian maxim built on the Book of Changes 周易 (乾卦, 天行健); phrase itself is later formulation
Sits beside
天行健，君子以自強不息
tiān xíng jiàn, jūn zǐ yǐ zì qiáng bù xī
The cosmos never rests in its turning, so a worthy person keeps improving without pause.
勤能補拙
qín néng bǔ zhuō
Hard work compensates for a lack of natural talent.
一分耕耘，一分收穫
yī fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò
The reward you reap is exactly proportional to the effort you sow.
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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Dragon, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 天道酬勤 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 天道酬勤 (tiān dào chóu qín) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Song to Ming Neo-Confucian maxim built on the Book of Changes 周易 (乾卦, 天行健); phrase itself is later formulation. 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 天道酬勤?
In Mandarin it is tiān dào chóu qín. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 天道酬勤 aloud in Mandarin.