諺語 · a single proverb
唯道集虛，虛者心齋也
Simplified: 唯道集虚，虚者心斋也
What does 唯道集虛，虛者心齋也 (wéi dào jí xū, xū zhě xīn zhāi yě) mean?
唯道集虛，虛者心齋也 (wéi dào jí xū, xū zhě xīn zhāi yě) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "Only the Way gathers in emptiness; emptiness is the fasting of the mind." In use it means: The Dao can only be received by a mind that has been emptied of preconceptions, desires, and mental noise. Mental fasting clears the way for genuine understanding. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "Only the Way gathers in emptiness; emptiness is the fasting of the mind."
The reading
You cannot pour tea into a cup that is already full, and you cannot receive the Dao in a mind already packed with conclusions. Zhuangzi's heart fasting is not about starving the body but about quieting the inner chatter that drowns out subtler signals. Most people fast from food at some point in their lives. Very few attempt to fast from their own opinions. The practice sounds simple, but try sitting for ten minutes without rehearsing an argument, replaying a memory, or planning tomorrow.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhuangzi, Renjianshi (Human World chapter), 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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 唯道集虛，虛者心齋也 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 唯道集虛，虛者心齋也 (wéi dào jí xū, xū zhě xīn zhāi yě) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Zhuangzi, Renjianshi (Human World chapter), 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 唯道集虛，虛者心齋也?
In Mandarin it is wéi dào jí xū, xū zhě xīn zhāi yě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 唯道集虛，虛者心齋也 aloud in Mandarin.