一yī言yán既jì出chū，駟sì馬mǎ難nán追zhuī

What does 一言既出，駟馬難追 (yī yán jì chū sì mǎ nán zhuī) mean?

一言既出，駟馬難追 (yī yán jì chū sì mǎ nán zhuī) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "once a word is spoken, even four horses cannot chase it back." In use it means: A spoken word cannot be taken back. Think before you speak, because language, once released, cannot be recalled. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.

Literally: "once a word is spoken, even four horses cannot chase it back."

The reading

Four horses pulling a chariot at full speed. That is the fastest thing the ancient world could imagine. And it is still not fast enough to catch a word that has already left your mouth. The word travels at the speed of hearing, which is instant. The regret travels at the speed of consequence, which is slower but heavier.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element金 Metal
• Zodiac tie馬 Year of the Horse

Source Analects 論語, Yanzi Chunqiu 晏子春秋; common folk form

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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.