諺語 · a single proverb
虛室生白，吉祥止止
Simplified: 虚室生白，吉祥止止
What does 虛室生白，吉祥止止 (xū shì shēng bái, jí xiáng zhǐ zhǐ) mean?
虛室生白，吉祥止止 (xū shì shēng bái, jí xiáng zhǐ zhǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "An empty room gives birth to white light; good fortune comes to rest in stillness." In use it means: When the mind is cleared of clutter and desire, clarity naturally arises, and blessings gather where there is deep stillness. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "An empty room gives birth to white light; good fortune comes to rest in stillness."
The reading
The quietest room in any house is the one with nothing left to prove. When you stop filling your inner space with noise, opinions, and anxious planning, something luminous appears on its own. This light was never absent. It was only hidden behind the furniture of your habits. Stillness does not mean doing nothing. It means doing nothing unnecessary.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Zhuangzi, Renjianshi (Human World chapter), Warring States period
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 虛室生白，吉祥止止 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 虛室生白，吉祥止止 (xū shì shēng bái, jí xiáng zhǐ zhǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Zhuangzi, Renjianshi (Human World chapter), Warring States period. 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 虛室生白，吉祥止止?
In Mandarin it is xū shì shēng bái, jí xiáng zhǐ zhǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 虛室生白，吉祥止止 aloud in Mandarin.