諺語 · a single proverb
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已
What does 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已 (tiān xià jiē zhī měi zhī wéi měi sī è yǐ) mean?
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已 (tiān xià jiē zhī měi zhī wéi měi sī è yǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "when all under heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness already exists." In use it means: When beauty is universally recognized as beauty, its opposite already exists; duality is inherent. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "when all under heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness already exists."
The reading
The naming of the beautiful creates the ugly by contrast; they were always together, waiting for the first word to bring the second into existence. All definition creates its opposite, and the person who insists on absolute categories finds them dissolving at the edges where each touches the other. Hold definitions lightly; the thing they name is larger than they are.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經·第二章 (Chapter 2)
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已 (tiān xià jiē zhī měi zhī wéi měi sī è yǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經·第二章 (Chapter 2). 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 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已?
In Mandarin it is tiān xià jiē zhī měi zhī wéi měi sī è yǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已 aloud in Mandarin.