諺語 · a single proverb
月到中秋分外明
What does 月到中秋分外明 (yuè dào zhōng qiū fèn wài míng) mean?
月到中秋分外明 (yuè dào zhōng qiū fèn wài míng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "moon at mid-autumn exceptionally bright." In use it means: The moon at Mid-Autumn Festival is exceptionally bright; beauty has its appointed peaks. 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 Rabbit.
Literally: "moon at mid-autumn exceptionally bright."
The reading
The moon is always there but the mid-autumn moon has an audience and a quality of collective attention that makes it brighter than all the other moons of the year. What is beautiful is made more beautiful by being recognized together, by the shared gaze that turns a thing's ordinary light into something the whole world lifts its face toward.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese saying (common at Mid-Autumn Festival)
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 月到中秋分外明 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 月到中秋分外明 (yuè dào zhōng qiū fèn wài míng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese saying (common at Mid-Autumn Festival). 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 月到中秋分外明?
In Mandarin it is yuè dào zhōng qiū fèn wài míng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 月到中秋分外明 aloud in Mandarin.