諺語 · a single proverb
聽風就是雨
Simplified: 听风就是雨
What does 聽風就是雨 (tīng fēng jiù shì yǔ) mean?
聽風就是雨 (tīng fēng jiù shì yǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "hearing wind and assuming it is rain." In use it means: Jumping to conclusions from the slightest signal; treating every rumor as confirmed fact. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "hearing wind and assuming it is rain."
The reading
The curtain moved. It was the air conditioning. But you already called an emergency meeting because you heard the wind and your brain produced the rain. The gap between signal and interpretation is where most mistakes are manufactured. Pause in that gap. The rain might be a curtain.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk expression; widely used in vernacular Chinese
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 Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 聽風就是雨 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 聽風就是雨 (tīng fēng jiù shì yǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Common folk expression; widely used in vernacular Chinese. 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 聽風就是雨?
In Mandarin it is tīng fēng jiù shì yǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 聽風就是雨 aloud in Mandarin.