夏蟲不可語冰

Chinese

		“summer insects”; insects that are active only during summer	cannot; should not; must not	speech; language; dialect speech; language; dialect; tell to	ice
trad. (夏蟲不可語冰)		夏蟲	不可	語	冰
simp. (夏虫不可语冰)		夏虫	不可	语	冰
Literally: “Summer insects cannot speak of ice.”

Etymology

From Zhuangzi:

夏蟲不可以語於冰者，篤於時也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

夏虫不可以语于冰者，笃于时也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

Xiàchóng bù kě yǐ yǔ yú bīng zhě, dǔ yú shí yě. [Pinyin]

An insect of the summer cannot be talked with about ice - it knows nothing beyond its own season.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiàchóng bùkě yǔ bīng

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄩˇ ㄅㄧㄥ
Cantonese (Jyutping): haa⁶ cung⁴ bat¹ ho² jyu⁵ bing¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiàchóng bùkě yǔ bīng [Phonetic: xiàchóngbùkéyǔbīng]
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄔㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄩˇ ㄅㄧㄥ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siàchóng bùkě yǔ bing
  - Wade–Giles: hsia⁴-chʻung² pu⁴-kʻo³ yü³ ping¹
  - Yale: syà-chúng bù-kě yǔ bīng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiahchorng bukee yeu bing
  - Palladius: сячун букэ юй бин (sjačun bukɛ juj bin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʊŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ piŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: haa⁶ cung⁴ bat¹ ho² jyu⁵ bing¹
  - Yale: hah chùhng bāt hó yúh bīng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: haa⁶ tsung⁴ bat⁷ ho² jy⁵ bing¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: ha⁶ cung⁴ bed¹ ho² yu⁵ bing¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haː²² t͡sʰʊŋ²¹ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ jyː¹³ pɪŋ⁵⁵/

Proverb

夏蟲不可語冰

One cannot engage in meaningful discussions with people with only superficial knowledge or narrow experience

Synonyms

夏蟲語冰／夏虫语冰
夏蟲不可以語冰／夏虫不可以语冰

See also

井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā)

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