諺語 · a single proverb
五月五日午，天師騎艾虎
Simplified: 五月五日午，天师骑艾虎
What does 五月五日午，天師騎艾虎 (wǔ yuè wǔ rì wǔ, tiān shī qí ài hǔ) mean?
五月五日午，天師騎艾虎 (wǔ yuè wǔ rì wǔ, tiān shī qí ài hǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "On the fifth day of the fifth month at noon, the Heavenly Master rides the mugwort tiger." In use it means: During the Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month), mugwort is fashioned into tiger shapes and hung on doors to ward off evil and pestilence. The 'Heavenly Master' Zhang Tianshi is a Daoist protector figure associated with this custom. 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: "On the fifth day of the fifth month at noon, the Heavenly Master rides the mugwort tiger.."
The reading
Communities have always found ways to convert fear into ritual and ritual into protection. Hanging herbs on a doorframe is both practical (insect repellent) and symbolic (spiritual boundary). The tiger made of mugwort stands at the threshold between the seen and unseen, the medical and the sacred. Festivals that survive centuries do so because they address needs that do not change.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Dragon Boat Festival folk custom proverb, documented in regional festival tradition collections
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 五月五日午，天師騎艾虎 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 五月五日午，天師騎艾虎 (wǔ yuè wǔ rì wǔ, tiān shī qí ài hǔ) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Dragon Boat Festival folk custom proverb, documented in regional festival tradition collections. 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 五月五日午，天師騎艾虎?
In Mandarin it is wǔ yuè wǔ rì wǔ, tiān shī qí ài hǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 五月五日午，天師騎艾虎 aloud in Mandarin.