諺語 · a single proverb
望梅止渴
What does 望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě) mean?
望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "gazing at plums to quench thirst." In use it means: Imagining what you want can provide temporary comfort but does not solve the real need. Also: a clever leader can motivate people with a well-placed mental image. 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 Snake.
Literally: "gazing at plums to quench thirst."
The reading
Cao Cao told his thirsty soldiers there was a plum grove ahead. Their mouths watered and they marched on. No one questions whether the plums were real. The point is that the thought of them moved the legs. Sometimes a picture in the mind is enough to cross the desert, even if the oasis turns out to be somewhere else entirely.
What kind of proverb it is
Source A New Account of the Tales of the World 世說新語 (Liu Yiqing 劉義慶, Southern dynasties)
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 Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 望梅止渴 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from A New Account of the Tales of the World 世說新語 (Liu Yiqing 劉義慶, Southern dynasties). 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 望梅止渴?
In Mandarin it is wàng méi zhǐ kě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 望梅止渴 aloud in Mandarin.