諺語 · a single proverb
早知今日，何必當初
Simplified: 早知今日，何必当初
What does 早知今日，何必當初 (zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū) mean?
早知今日，何必當初 (zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "had I known today, why would I have done what I did at the start." In use it means: Had I known how it would turn out, I would have acted differently; hindsight brings regret. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "had I known today, why would I have done what I did at the start."
The reading
The clarity of hindsight carries the peculiar sadness of its own uselessness: it arrives only after the moment of its application has passed. This regret is the tax we pay for not having been wiser in the moment, and the only direction it can be redirected is forward, as a sharpened attention that watches the next beginning more carefully than the last.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese folk saying (common in folk and literary contexts)
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 Rat, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 早知今日，何必當初 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 早知今日，何必當初 (zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese folk saying (common in folk and literary contexts). 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 早知今日，何必當初?
In Mandarin it is zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 早知今日，何必當初 aloud in Mandarin.