一枝草，一點露

See also: 一枝草，一点露

Chinese

		one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	branch; (a measure word)	grass; straw; draft (of a document) grass; straw; draft (of a document); careless; rough; manuscript; hasty		one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	point; dot; (decimal) point point; dot; (decimal) point; o'clock; (measure word))	to show; to reveal; to expose to show; to reveal; to expose; dew
trad. (一枝草，一點露)		一	枝	草	，	一	點	露
simp. (一枝草，一点露)		一	枝	草	，	一	点	露

Etymology

Literally: For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yī zhī cǎo, yī diǎn lù
(Zhuyin): ㄧㄓㄘㄠˇ, ㄧㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄌㄨˋ
Min Nan (POJ): chi̍t ki chháu, chi̍t tiám lō͘

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yī zhī cǎo, yī diǎn lù [Phonetic: yì zhī cǎo, yì diǎn lù]
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄓㄘㄠˇ, ㄧㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄌㄨˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yi jhih cǎo, yi diǎn lù
  - Wade–Giles: i¹ chih¹ tsʻao³- i¹ tien³ lu⁴
  - Yale: yī jr̄ tsǎu-, yī dyǎn lù
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: i jy tsao, i dean luh
  - Palladius: и чжи цао, и дянь лу (i čži cao, i djanʹ lu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ tjɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ lu⁵¹/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chi̍t ki chháu, chi̍t tiám lō͘
  - Tâi-lô: tsi̍t ki tsháu, tsi̍t tiám lōo
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡ɕit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡ɕit̚¹²¹⁻²¹ tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ²²/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰau⁵³ t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ lɔ³³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡ɕit̚²⁴⁻² ki³³ t͡sʰau⁵⁵⁴ t͡ɕit̚²⁴⁻² tiam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ lɔ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² ki⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰau⁴¹ t͡ɕit̚⁴⁻³² tiam⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ lɔ³³/
  - IPA (Singapore): /t͡ɕit̚⁴³⁻²¹ ki⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰau⁴² t͡ɕit̚⁴³⁻²¹ tiam⁴²⁻²⁴ lɔ²²/

Proverb

一枝草，一點露 (Min Nan, Taiwanese Mandarin)

As long as one is still breathing, one has a chance to live.
There is always a way out.

Related terms

留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒／留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 (liú dé qīngshān zài, bùpà méi chái shāo)
天無絕人之路／天无绝人之路 (tiān wú jué rén zhī lù)

References

“Entry #60018”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.