諺語 · a single proverb
獨當一面
What does 獨當一面 (dú dāng yī miàn) mean?
獨當一面 (dú dāng yī miàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "alone managing one front." In use it means: Hold one's own on an entire front alone; independently take charge of a major area. 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 Tiger.
Literally: "alone managing one front."
The reading
There is a particular kind of test in which the person stands alone on the sector they were given and discovers whether the combination of preparation, will, and intelligence is sufficient without help. Those who can manage their own front do not merely survive it; they leave it better than they found it, as proof that they were the right person for the position.
What kind of proverb it is
Source San Guo Zhi 三國志·蜀志·諸葛亮傳 (Zhūgě Liàng biography)
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 Courage & Decisive Action, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Tiger, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 獨當一面 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 獨當一面 (dú dāng yī miàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from San Guo Zhi 三國志·蜀志·諸葛亮傳 (Zhūgě Liàng biography). 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 獨當一面?
In Mandarin it is dú dāng yī miàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 獨當一面 aloud in Mandarin.