諺語 · a single proverb
無酒不成席
Simplified: 无酒不成席
What does 無酒不成席 (wú jiǔ bù chéng xí) mean?
無酒不成席 (wú jiǔ bù chéng xí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Without wine, a banquet cannot be complete." In use it means: Wine is considered essential to any proper feast or celebration in Chinese culture. A gathering without it lacks the social lubricant and ceremonial weight that make an occasion memorable. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "Without wine, a banquet cannot be complete.."
The reading
The bottle on the table is not about the liquid inside it but about the permission it grants. People say things over wine they would never say over water. A banquet without it is just a meal, functional but missing the pulse that turns eating together into something worth remembering. Ritual needs a catalyst, and in Chinese culture, wine has always been that spark.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese banquet culture proverb, folk origin
Sits beside
外甥打燈籠——照舅（照舊）
wài shēng dǎ dēng long——zhào jiù (zhào jiù)
A pun on 照舅 (illuminating the uncle) and 照舊 (as before).
家有黃金，不如有個好鄰居
jiā yǒu huáng jīn bù rú yǒu gè hǎo lín jū
A good neighbor is worth more than household gold.
龍生龍，鳳生鳳，老鼠生的兒子會打洞
lóng shēng lóng, fèng shēng fèng, lǎo shǔ shēng de ér zi huì dǎ dòng
Children tend to inherit or follow the traits and social standing of their parents.
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 無酒不成席 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 無酒不成席 (wú jiǔ bù chéng xí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese banquet culture proverb, folk origin. 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 無酒不成席?
In Mandarin it is wú jiǔ bù chéng xí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 無酒不成席 aloud in Mandarin.