諺語 · a single proverb
聽其言，觀其行
Simplified: 听其言，观其行
What does 聽其言，觀其行 (tīng qí yán guān qí xíng) mean?
聽其言，觀其行 (tīng qí yán guān qí xíng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "listen to their words and watch their actions." In use it means: Judge people by what they do, not just by what they say; words are cheap, behavior is the real data. 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: "listen to their words and watch their actions."
The reading
The speech was excellent. The action was absent. One of them tells you what the person wants you to think. The other tells you what the person actually is. When the two disagree, believe the behavior. It is the one that cannot be edited.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Analects 論語, Book 5 (Gongye Chang 公冶長, ch. 10)
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 聽其言，觀其行 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 聽其言，觀其行 (tīng qí yán guān qí xíng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Analects 論語, Book 5 (Gongye Chang 公冶長, ch. 10). 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 聽其言，觀其行?
In Mandarin it is tīng qí yán guān qí xíng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 聽其言，觀其行 aloud in Mandarin.