諺語 · a single proverb
心急吃不了熱豆腐
Simplified: 心急吃不了热豆腐
What does 心急吃不了熱豆腐 (xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu) mean?
心急吃不了熱豆腐 (xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "anxious heart cannot eat hot tofu." In use it means: Impatience will not speed things up; haste ruins what needs time. 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 Rat.
Literally: "anxious heart cannot eat hot tofu."
The reading
The tofu steaming from the pot does not care how hungry you are; it will burn your mouth at exactly the same temperature regardless. What requires cooling will cool in its own time, and the person who tries to eat before it is ready learns nothing useful except the texture of regret. Patience is often just knowing the actual timeline of things.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb (suyu)
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 心急吃不了熱豆腐 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 心急吃不了熱豆腐 (xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb (suyu). 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 心急吃不了熱豆腐?
In Mandarin it is xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 心急吃不了熱豆腐 aloud in Mandarin.