諺語 · a single proverb
有花堪折直須折
Simplified: 有花堪折直须折
What does 有花堪折直須折 (yǒu huā kān zhé zhí xū zhé) mean?
有花堪折直須折 (yǒu huā kān zhé zhí xū zhé) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "when there are flowers worth picking, pick them straight away." In use it means: Seize the moment while you can; opportunity fades as quickly as a blossom. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "when there are flowers worth picking, pick them straight away."
The reading
The flower is open today. Tomorrow it might not be. The hesitation to pick it because a better one might bloom is the exact hesitation that leaves you with an empty hand and a faded garden. Take the beauty that is available to you now.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Du Qiuniang 杜秋娘, Jin Lü Yi 金縷衣 (Tang poem)
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 有花堪折直須折 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 有花堪折直須折 (yǒu huā kān zhé zhí xū zhé) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Du Qiuniang 杜秋娘, Jin Lü Yi 金縷衣 (Tang poem). 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 有花堪折直須折?
In Mandarin it is yǒu huā kān zhé zhí xū zhé. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 有花堪折直須折 aloud in Mandarin.