諺語 · a single proverb
一分耕耘，一分收穫
Simplified: 一分耕耘，一分收获
What does 一分耕耘，一分收穫 (yī fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò) mean?
一分耕耘，一分收穫 (yī fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "one measure of tilling, one measure of harvest." In use it means: The reward you reap is exactly proportional to the effort you sow. 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 Ox.
Literally: "one measure of tilling, one measure of harvest."
The reading
The field keeps honest accounts. It will not pay you for the mornings you meant to work, only for the ones you knelt in the dirt. What you gather in autumn is simply spring, returned to you with interest and no lies.
The story
This is a common Chinese proverb, recorded in the Taiwan Ministry of Education idiom dictionary rather than traced to one author, and it keeps a farmer's honest accounts: one measure of tilling, one measure of harvest. It is said to insist that reward is proportional to labor, that the field pays for the mornings you actually knelt in it and not for the ones you meant to.
Stop expecting the field to pay you for effort you only intended. Put the hours in where the return you want will grow, and trust that what you gather later is simply this season's work returned to you, with interest and no lies.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common Chinese proverb; recorded in the Taiwan MOE 教育部 idiom dictionary
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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Horse, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 一分耕耘，一分收穫 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一分耕耘，一分收穫 (yī fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common Chinese proverb; recorded in the Taiwan MOE 教育部 idiom dictionary. 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 一分耕耘，一分收穫?
In Mandarin it is yī fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一分耕耘，一分收穫 aloud in Mandarin.