諺語 · a single proverb
雨後春筍
Simplified: 雨后春笋
What does 雨後春筍 (yǔ hòu chūn sǔn) mean?
雨後春筍 (yǔ hòu chūn sǔn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "spring bamboo shoots after the rain." In use it means: Things appearing suddenly in great numbers, like bamboo shoots that erupt everywhere after a spring rain. When conditions are right, growth is explosive and simultaneous. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "spring bamboo shoots after the rain."
The reading
Yesterday the ground was bare. This morning there are forty shoots, all pushing through at once. The growth was not sudden. It was stored underground for months, waiting for the right rain. When it came, everything that had been preparing in the dark came up at the same time. Preparation is invisible. The result is not.
What kind of proverb it is
Source classical metaphor; Song-era literary usage
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 雨後春筍 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 雨後春筍 (yǔ hòu chūn sǔn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from classical metaphor; Song-era literary usage. 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 雨後春筍?
In Mandarin it is yǔ hòu chūn sǔn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 雨後春筍 aloud in Mandarin.