諺語 · a single proverb
風物長宜放眼量
What does 風物長宜放眼量 (fēng wù cháng yí fàng yǎn liàng) mean?
風物長宜放眼量 (fēng wù cháng yí fàng yǎn liàng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "scenery and things long suitable for wide-eye measurement." In use it means: Take the long view on all things; assess matters from a broad and patient perspective. 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 Horse.
Literally: "scenery and things long suitable for wide-eye measurement."
The reading
The panorama of the long view makes the present irritation smaller and the present comfort less absolute. Both the difficulty and the joy look different when set against the wide horizon that time provides. The eye that can hold the far distance without losing sight of the near is the eye that judges accurately.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Mao Zedong 毛澤東·《七律·和柳亞子先生》 (Hé Liǔ Yǎzǐ Xiānsheng, 1949 poem)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 風物長宜放眼量 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 風物長宜放眼量 (fēng wù cháng yí fàng yǎn liàng) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Mao Zedong 毛澤東·《七律·和柳亞子先生》 (Hé Liǔ Yǎzǐ Xiānsheng, 1949 poem). 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 風物長宜放眼量?
In Mandarin it is fēng wù cháng yí fàng yǎn liàng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 風物長宜放眼量 aloud in Mandarin.