諺語 · a single proverb
愛屋及烏
What does 愛屋及烏 (ài wū jí wū) mean?
愛屋及烏 (ài wū jí wū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "love the house extend to the crow on it." In use it means: Love me, love my dog; extend affection for something to everything associated with it. 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 Rooster.
Literally: "love the house extend to the crow on it."
The reading
The crow on the roof of the beloved house becomes beautiful by association, transformed not by its own qualities but by what surrounds it. Love has this generous property: it cannot keep itself confined to its exact object and spills over onto everything adjacent. This is both its beauty and its danger.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tai Gong Bing Fa 太公兵法 (Tài Gōng Bīng Fǎ, attributed to Jiang Ziya)
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 愛屋及烏 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 愛屋及烏 (ài wū jí wū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Tai Gong Bing Fa 太公兵法 (Tài Gōng Bīng Fǎ, attributed to Jiang Ziya). 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 愛屋及烏?
In Mandarin it is ài wū jí wū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 愛屋及烏 aloud in Mandarin.