腹有诗书气自华

腹有詩書氣自華

fùyǒushīshūqìzìhuá

phrase

Meanings

1 with poetry and books in your belly, your bearing naturally shines — true refinement comes from learning within
2 literally: when the belly holds poetry and books, one's air / aura is naturally splendid

Characters

naturally / of itself

华

huá

splendid / shining

Examples

她举止优雅，真是腹有诗书气自华。

Tā jǔzhǐ yōuyǎ, zhēn shì fù yǒu shī shū qì zì huá.

Her manner is elegant — truly, when you have poetry and books within, your bearing shines.

与其花钱整容，不如多读书，腹有诗书气自华。

Yǔqí huā qián zhěngróng, bùrú duō dúshū, fù yǒu shī shū qì zì huá.

Rather than spending on cosmetic surgery, read more — learning alone gives true grace.

Tips

history

From Su Shi's (苏轼) Northern Song poem 《和董传留别》 (A Parting Poem Harmonizing Dong Chuan's). Couplet: 粗缯大布裹生涯，腹有诗书气自华 — 'Coarse silk and rough cloth wrap his life, but his belly holds poetry and books, and his air naturally shines.' Written for his friend Dong Chuan who was poor but widely read. The message: cultivation outshines clothing.

usage

Hugely popular in contemporary reading-promotion campaigns, bookstore slogans and graduation speeches. Gender-neutral despite sounding scholarly-male in its original context; today used for anyone.

Stroke Order

腹 fù

有 yǒu

诗 shī

书 shū

气 qì

自 zì

华 huá