諺語 · a single proverb
一筆勾銷
Simplified: 一笔勾销
What does 一筆勾銷 (yī bǐ gōu xiāo) mean?
一筆勾銷 (yī bǐ gōu xiāo) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one stroke of the brush cancels everything." In use it means: A single decisive act erases all previous effort or debt; the finality of a clean break. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "one stroke of the brush cancels everything."
The reading
Everything you built, planned, owed, or promised: gone in one stroke. The brush does not care about the history of the page it is crossing out. Finality is efficient. It does not negotiate with what came before. Sometimes that is devastating. Sometimes it is the only way forward.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common literary expression; legal and commercial tradition
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一筆勾銷 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一筆勾銷 (yī bǐ gōu xiāo) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common literary expression; legal and commercial tradition. 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 一筆勾銷?
In Mandarin it is yī bǐ gōu xiāo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一筆勾銷 aloud in Mandarin.