諺語 · a single proverb
不入虎穴，焉得虎子
What does 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ) mean?
不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "without entering the tiger's den, how to get the tiger's cub." In use it means: Nothing ventured, nothing gained; you must take risks to achieve great things. 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: "without entering the tiger's den, how to get the tiger's cub."
The reading
The tiger cub is in the den, and the den is where the tiger lives, and this is the exact information about why the cub is valuable and why it requires courage to obtain. What is worth having tends to live in places that require something from those who want it. The wanting without the going is simply daydreaming about tiger cubs.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Hou Han Shu 後漢書·班超傳 (Bān Chāo 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 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Hou Han Shu 後漢書·班超傳 (Bān Chāo 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 不入虎穴，焉得虎子?
In Mandarin it is bù rù hǔ xué yān dé hǔ zǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 aloud in Mandarin.