諺語 · a single proverb
萬事俱備，只欠東風
Simplified: 万事俱备，只欠东风
What does 萬事俱備，只欠東風 (wàn shì jù bèi zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng) mean?
萬事俱備，只欠東風 (wàn shì jù bèi zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "ten thousand things all prepared, only missing the east wind." In use it means: Everything is ready except the one crucial element; almost but not quite complete. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "ten thousand things all prepared, only missing the east wind."
The reading
Cao Cao's fleet was enormous and his preparations thorough and only the east wind was missing, and Zhuge Liang's greatest trick was borrowing it from the sky. Sometimes the final ingredient is the one that cannot be manufactured and must simply arrive. Prepare everything else so completely that the only thing left is the thing that comes when the time is right.
What kind of proverb it is
Source San Guo Yan Yi 三國演義 (Sān Guó Yǎn Yì, Romance of the Three Kingdoms)
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 萬事俱備，只欠東風 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 萬事俱備，只欠東風 (wàn shì jù bèi zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from San Guo Yan Yi 三國演義 (Sān Guó Yǎn Yì, Romance of the Three Kingdoms). 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 萬事俱備，只欠東風?
In Mandarin it is wàn shì jù bèi zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 萬事俱備，只欠東風 aloud in Mandarin.