諺語 · a single proverb
一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩
What does 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà cǎo shéng) mean?
一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà cǎo shéng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "once bitten by snake, ten years afraid of grass rope." In use it means: A bad experience leaves lasting fear; once bitten, twice shy. 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 Snake.
Literally: "once bitten by snake, ten years afraid of grass rope."
The reading
The grass rope and the snake share only their shape, but the memory of pain does not distinguish between them. Trauma rewrites the nervous system's reading of the world, and the coiled rope at dusk looks exactly like what it does not need to look like. Understanding this is not weakness but the beginning of patience with one's own alarm systems.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk proverb (yanyu)
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 (yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà cǎo shéng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk proverb (yanyu). 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 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩?
In Mandarin it is yī zhāo bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà cǎo shéng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草繩 aloud in Mandarin.