醉zuì翁wēng之zhī意yì不bù在zài酒jiǔ

What does 醉翁之意不在酒 (zuì wēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ) mean?

醉翁之意不在酒 (zuì wēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "the old drunkard's interest is not in the wine." In use it means: The stated purpose is not the real purpose. The old man sits at the pavilion and says he is drinking, but what he really came for is the mountain view. People do not always want what they say they want. 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 Monkey.

Literally: "the old drunkard's interest is not in the wine."

The reading

He orders the wine. He barely touches the glass. His eyes are on the valley. The wine is the excuse. The valley is the reason. Half of human conversation works this way: the stated topic is the wine, the real topic is the valley. Learn to see the valley and most conversations become much shorter.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie猴 Year of the Monkey

Source Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修, 'Preface to the Old Drunkard's Pavilion' 醉翁亭記 (Song dynasty)

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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.