諺語 · a single proverb
心如工畫師，能畫諸世間
Simplified: 心如工画师，能画诸世间
What does 心如工畫師，能畫諸世間 (xīn rú gōng huà shī, néng huà zhū shì jiān) mean?
心如工畫師，能畫諸世間 (xīn rú gōng huà shī, néng huà zhū shì jiān) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "The mind is like a master painter, able to paint all the worlds." In use it means: The mind creates the reality we experience. Every perception, emotion, and interpretation is a brushstroke of consciousness painting the world we inhabit. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "The mind is like a master painter, able to paint all the worlds."
The reading
An artist does not copy the world but chooses what to include and what to leave out, and so the painting becomes more the artist's mind than the landscape. The Avatamsaka Sutra extends this to everything you perceive. Your fears paint monsters on blank walls. Your affection paints warmth into cold rooms. Knowing you hold the brush does not mean the painting is fake. It means you bear a deep responsibility for the world you create with every thought and assumption.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Avatamsaka Sutra (華嚴經 / Flower Garland Sutra)
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 心如工畫師，能畫諸世間 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 心如工畫師，能畫諸世間 (xīn rú gōng huà shī, néng huà zhū shì jiān) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Avatamsaka Sutra (華嚴經 / Flower Garland Sutra). 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 心如工畫師，能畫諸世間?
In Mandarin it is xīn rú gōng huà shī, néng huà zhū shì jiān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 心如工畫師，能畫諸世間 aloud in Mandarin.