諺語 · a single proverb
望洋興嘆
Simplified: 望洋兴叹
What does 望洋興嘆 (wàng yáng xīng tàn) mean?
望洋興嘆 (wàng yáng xīng tàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "gazing at the ocean and sighing." In use it means: Standing before something so vast you feel small and helpless. The recognition of your own limits. 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 Dragon.
Literally: "gazing at the ocean and sighing."
The reading
The river god thought he was the biggest body of water in the world. Then he reached the sea. He stood at the edge, looked out, and sighed. The sigh was not defeat. It was the first honest breath he had taken in his life. Knowing the real size of the world is the beginning of growing into it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhuangzi 莊子, 秋水篇 (Warring States period)
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 望洋興嘆 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 望洋興嘆 (wàng yáng xīng tàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Zhuangzi 莊子, 秋水篇 (Warring States period). 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 望洋興嘆?
In Mandarin it is wàng yáng xīng tàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 望洋興嘆 aloud in Mandarin.