諺語 · a single proverb
亭亭玉立
What does 亭亭玉立 (tíng tíng yù lì) mean?
亭亭玉立 (tíng tíng yù lì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "standing gracefully like jade." In use it means: Describing someone who carries themselves with natural elegance and quiet dignity; poise that needs no decoration. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "standing gracefully like jade."
The reading
Jade does not glitter. It does not demand attention. It stands in a room and the room arranges itself around it. True elegance works the same way: it is not what you add to yourself, but what you do not need to add. The person who stands like jade has subtracted everything unnecessary and kept only what is real.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common literary expression; appears in various Tang and Song texts
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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 亭亭玉立 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 亭亭玉立 (tíng tíng yù lì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common literary expression; appears in various Tang and Song texts. 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 亭亭玉立?
In Mandarin it is tíng tíng yù lì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 亭亭玉立 aloud in Mandarin.