諺語 · a single proverb
一見鍾情
Simplified: 一见钟情
What does 一見鍾情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) mean?
一見鍾情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one glance, love determined." In use it means: Love at first sight; immediate and complete falling in love. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "one glance, love determined."
The reading
The recognition that arrives without reasoning is not irrational but pre-rational, a knowing that precedes the explanation. The heart that has already decided before the mind has had a chance to deliberate is not making an error; it is using a different instrument. Whether that instrument proves accurate is what the rest of the story discovers.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk expression (common in literary and folk culture)
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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一見鍾情 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一見鍾情 (yī jiàn zhōng qíng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk expression (common in literary and folk culture). 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 一見鍾情?
In Mandarin it is yī jiàn zhōng qíng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一見鍾情 aloud in Mandarin.