五wǔ穀gǔ為wéi養yǎng,，五wǔ果guǒ為wéi助zhù

What does 五穀為養，五果為助 (wǔ gǔ wéi yǎng, wǔ guǒ wéi zhù) mean?

五穀為養，五果為助 (wǔ gǔ wéi yǎng, wǔ guǒ wéi zhù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "The five grains are for nourishment; the five fruits are for support." In use it means: Grains form the core of the diet and provide primary sustenance, while fruits serve as supplementary nutrition. This hierarchy reflects traditional Chinese dietary theory's emphasis on balance and proportion. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.

Literally: "The five grains are for nourishment; the five fruits are for support.."

The reading

Structure matters in what we eat just as it does in how we build. The grains carry the load, and the fruits lighten it. Neither works well alone, but together they describe a complete architecture of nourishment. This is not a rigid rule but a principle: know what is foundational and what is supplementary. Confusing the two leads to a diet, or a life, that is colorful but unstable.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusLooks back
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie羊 Year of the Goat

Source Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine), '素問·藏氣法時論'

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 Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.