諺語 · a single proverb
為而不爭
Simplified: 为而不争
What does 為而不爭 (wéi ér bù zhēng) mean?
為而不爭 (wéi ér bù zhēng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "act without contending." In use it means: Do the work without competing for recognition; the greatest victory is one that was never a contest. 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: "act without contending."
The reading
The tide reaches every shore without announcing its arrival. It does not compete with the cliff, yet the cliff is shaped by it. To act without striving for supremacy is not passivity-it is the most enduring kind of power.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 81 (Laozi)
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 為而不爭 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 為而不爭 (wéi ér bù zhēng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 81 (Laozi). 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 為而不爭?
In Mandarin it is wéi ér bù zhēng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 為而不爭 aloud in Mandarin.