諺語 · a single proverb
早睡早起身體好
Simplified: 早睡早起身体好
What does 早睡早起身體好 (zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ shēn tǐ hǎo) mean?
早睡早起身體好 (zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ shēn tǐ hǎo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "sleep early, rise early, the body is well." In use it means: Early to bed and early to rise promotes good health; regular rhythms sustain the body. 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 Rooster.
Literally: "sleep early, rise early, the body is well."
The reading
The body runs on light. It was built to wake with the sun and rest when it sets, and every time you fight that rhythm you borrow against a debt the body will eventually collect. Sleep early, rise with the world, and the world meets you before it has used up its best hours.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Chinese folk proverb 民間諺語; Benjamin Franklin's phrase has a Chinese parallel
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 Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Rabbit.
Questions
Is 早睡早起身體好 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 早睡早起身體好 (zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ shēn tǐ hǎo) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Chinese folk proverb 民間諺語; Benjamin Franklin's phrase has a Chinese parallel. 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 早睡早起身體好?
In Mandarin it is zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ shēn tǐ hǎo. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 早睡早起身體好 aloud in Mandarin.