諺語 · a single proverb
一人難稱大事
Simplified: 一人难称大事
What does 一人難稱大事 (yī rén nán chēng dà shì) mean?
一人難稱大事 (yī rén nán chēng dà shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "one person alone cannot carry great affairs." In use it means: Great achievements require collaboration; no single individual can accomplish everything alone. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "one person alone cannot carry great affairs."
The reading
The beam is long enough for one person to carry and too heavy for one person to lift. This is the shape of most important work: scaled to require more than one set of hands. The person who insists on working alone does not prove strength. They prove that they have not yet encountered work that matches their ambition.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk saying; echoes throughout Chinese organizational wisdom
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 Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一人難稱大事 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一人難稱大事 (yī rén nán chēng dà shì) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk saying; echoes throughout Chinese organizational wisdom. 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 一人難稱大事?
In Mandarin it is yī rén nán chēng dà shì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一人難稱大事 aloud in Mandarin.