鶴長鳧短

Chinese

		crane	long; length; forever long; length; forever; always; constantly; chief; head; elder; to grow; to develop	wild duck; to swim	lack; short
trad. (鶴長鳧短)		鶴	長	鳧	短
simp. (鹤长凫短)		鹤	长	凫	短
Literally: “a crane's legs are long, a duck's are short”.

Etymology

Derived from a passage in the Zhuangzi.

是故鳧脛雖短，續之則憂；鶴脛雖長，斷之則悲。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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是故凫胫虽短，续之则忧；鹤胫虽长，断之则悲。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

Shìgù fú jìng suī duǎn, xù zhī zé yōu; hè jìng suī cháng, duàn zhī zé bēi. [Pinyin]

Thus a duck's legs, for instance, are short, but if we try to lengthen them, it occasions pain; and a crane's legs are long, but if we try to cut off a portion of them, it produces grief.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hèchángfúduǎn

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄜˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄈㄨˊ ㄉㄨㄢˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hèchángfúduǎn
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄜˋ ㄔㄤˊ ㄈㄨˊ ㄉㄨㄢˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hèchángfúduǎn
    • Wade–Giles: ho⁴-chʻang²-fu²-tuan³
    • Yale: hè-cháng-fú-dwǎn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hehcharngfwudoan
    • Palladius: хэчанфудуань (xɛčanfuduanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xɤ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ fu³⁵ tu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Idiom

鶴長鳧短

1. things should be allowed to take their natural course