諺語 · a single proverb
早知如此，何必當初
Simplified: 早知如此，何必当初
What does 早知如此，何必當初 (zǎo zhī rú cǐ hé bì dāng chū) mean?
早知如此，何必當初 (zǎo zhī rú cǐ hé bì dāng chū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "if you had known it would be like this, why do what you did in the first place." In use it means: Regret spoken too late; the painful recognition that the current mess was avoidable if you had acted differently at the beginning. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "if you had known it would be like this, why do what you did in the first place."
The reading
Hindsight is not wisdom. It is a mirror you can only look into after the room has already burned. The lesson is real, but the timing is terrible. The useful version of this sentence is spoken before the decision, not after it. Once it becomes past tense, it is just a longer way of saying I wish.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk expression; widely used in Chinese literature
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 早知如此，何必當初 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 早知如此，何必當初 (zǎo zhī rú cǐ hé bì dāng chū) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk expression; widely used in Chinese literature. 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 早知如此，何必當初?
In Mandarin it is zǎo zhī rú cǐ 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 早知如此，何必當初 aloud in Mandarin.