諺語 · a single proverb
小暑大暑，上蒸下煮
What does 小暑大暑，上蒸下煮 (xiǎo shǔ dà shǔ, shàng zhēng xià zhǔ) mean?
小暑大暑，上蒸下煮 (xiǎo shǔ dà shǔ, shàng zhēng xià zhǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Minor Heat and Major Heat: steaming above, boiling below." In use it means: The solar terms Xiaoshu and Dashu (early to late July) bring the most extreme heat of the year. The air steams with humidity while the ground radiates stored heat, creating suffocating conditions. 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 Snake.
Literally: "Minor Heat and Major Heat: steaming above, boiling below.."
The reading
Endurance is not the absence of suffering but the willingness to continue through it. The hottest days test whether your discipline was built on habit or mere comfort. Knowing that relief will come does not lessen the weight of the present moment, but it steadies the mind. Every intense period carries a hidden threshold beyond which things begin to ease.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Solar term proverb from central and southern Chinese agricultural regions
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 小暑大暑，上蒸下煮 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 小暑大暑，上蒸下煮 (xiǎo shǔ dà shǔ, shàng zhēng xià zhǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Solar term proverb from central and southern Chinese agricultural regions. 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 小暑大暑，上蒸下煮?
In Mandarin it is xiǎo shǔ dà shǔ, shàng zhēng xià zhǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 小暑大暑，上蒸下煮 aloud in Mandarin.