諺語 · a single proverb
一片丹心照日月
What does 一片丹心照日月 (yī piàn dān xīn zhào rì yuè) mean?
一片丹心照日月 (yī piàn dān xīn zhào rì yuè) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "one piece of red heart illuminates sun and moon." In use it means: Sincere and passionate loyalty that shines like the sun and moon; noble and pure patriotism. 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 Horse.
Literally: "one piece of red heart illuminates sun and moon."
The reading
The red heart does not ask whether the sun and moon are watching. It shines its loyalty because that is its nature, as constant and sourceless as the light it is compared to. Dedication that reaches this quality becomes, in time, its own kind of illumination-visible even when the person who holds it is gone.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Wen Tianxiang 文天祥·《過零丁洋》 (Guò Líng Dīng Yáng, Passing Lingding Ocean, 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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 一片丹心照日月 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一片丹心照日月 (yī piàn dān xīn zhào rì yuè) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Wen Tianxiang 文天祥·《過零丁洋》 (Guò Líng Dīng Yáng, Passing Lingding Ocean, Song Dynasty). 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 一片丹心照日月?
In Mandarin it is yī piàn dān xīn zhào rì yuè. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一片丹心照日月 aloud in Mandarin.