諺語 · a single proverb
將心比心
What does 將心比心 (jiāng xīn bǐ xīn) mean?
將心比心 (jiāng xīn bǐ xīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "compare heart to heart." In use it means: Put yourself in another's shoes; empathize by measuring one heart against another. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "compare heart to heart."
The reading
The most direct route to understanding another person is to lay your heart beside theirs and see what matches and what differs. This is not agreement but acknowledgment, and the acknowledgment itself changes the conversation. What one knows of one's own loneliness, fear, or hope is the key that opens the door to recognizing those things in someone else's face.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Ming Dynasty 明·馮夢龍《醒世恆言》 (Xǐng Shì Héng Yán)
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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 將心比心 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 將心比心 (jiāng xīn bǐ xīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Ming Dynasty 明·馮夢龍《醒世恆言》 (Xǐng Shì Héng Yán). 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 將心比心?
In Mandarin it is jiāng xīn bǐ xīn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 將心比心 aloud in Mandarin.