諺語 · a single proverb
鋌而走險
Simplified: 铤而走险
What does 鋌而走險 (tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn) mean?
鋌而走險 (tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "dash forward and take the dangerous path." In use it means: When pushed to extremes, a person will take desperate risks they would normally avoid. 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: "dash forward and take the dangerous path."
The reading
No one chooses the cliff path when the road is open. The dangerous route becomes attractive only after every safe option has been closed. Desperation is not courage. But it produces the same result: forward motion through territory that fear would normally forbid. Understand the difference. Both look the same from the outside.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zuozhuan 左傳 (Wen Gong 文公, year 17)
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 鋌而走險 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 鋌而走險 (tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zuozhuan 左傳 (Wen Gong 文公, year 17). 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 鋌而走險?
In Mandarin it is tǐng ér zǒu xiǎn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 鋌而走險 aloud in Mandarin.