諺語 · a single proverb
無為而無不為
Simplified: 无为而无不为
What does 無為而無不為 (wú wéi ér wú bù wéi) mean?
無為而無不為 (wú wéi ér wú bù wéi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "through non-action, nothing is left undone." In use it means: By working with the natural flow of things rather than forcing them, everything finds its own resolution. 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 Rat.
Literally: "through non-action, nothing is left undone."
The reading
The stream does not try to reach the sea. It simply flows where the landscape sends it, and eventually arrives. The person who acts this way-not inert, but aligned-gets more done than the one who strains against every current. Less force, more arrival.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 48 (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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 無為而無不為 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 無為而無不為 (wú wéi ér wú bù wéi) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 48 (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 無為而無不為?
In Mandarin it is wú wéi ér wú bù wéi. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 無為而無不為 aloud in Mandarin.