江山易改，本性難移

Chinese

		rivers and mountains; the land; a landscape rivers and mountains; the land; a landscape; the country; the state power	change; easy; simple	to change; to alter; to transform to change; to alter; to transform; to correct		one's inherent nature	disaster; distress; to scold disaster; distress; to scold; difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good	to move; to shift; to change to move; to shift; to change; to alter; to remove
trad. (江山易改，本性難移)		江山	易	改	，	本性	難	移
simp. (江山易改，本性难移)		江山	易	改	，	本性	难	移
alternative forms		江山易改，稟性難移／江山易改，禀性难移
Literally: “The rivers and mountains are easily altered, but one's inherent nature is difficult to change”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄢ ㄧˋ ㄍㄞˇ , ㄅㄣˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gong¹ saan¹ ji⁶ goi², bun² sing³ naan⁴ ji⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kang-san ī-kài, pún-sèng lân-î

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄢ ㄧˋ ㄍㄞˇ , ㄅㄣˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiangshan yì gǎi, běnsìng nán yí
    • Wade–Giles: chiang¹-shan¹ i⁴ kai³, pên³-hsing⁴ nan² i²
    • Yale: jyāng-shān yì gǎi-, běn-syìng nán yí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiangshan yih gae, beenshinq nan yi
    • Palladius: цзяншань и гай, бэньсин нань и (czjanšanʹ i gaj, bɛnʹsin nanʹ i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ i⁵¹ kaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹ nän³⁵ i³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gong¹ saan¹ ji⁶ goi², bun² sing³ naan⁴ ji⁴
    • Yale: gōng sāan yih gói, bún sing nàahn yìh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gong¹ saan¹ ji⁶ goi², bun² sing³ naan⁴ ji⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: gong¹ san¹ yi⁶ goi², bun² xing³ nan⁴ yi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːŋ⁵⁵ saːn⁵⁵ jiː²² kɔːi̯³⁵ puːn³⁵ sɪŋ³³ naːn²¹ jiː²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kang-san ī-kài, pún-sèng lân-î
    • Tâi-lô: kang-san ī-kài, pún-sìng lân-î
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ san⁴⁴ i³³⁻²¹ kai²¹ pun⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ²¹ lan²³⁻³³ i²³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kaŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ san⁴⁴ i³³⁻¹¹ kai¹¹ pun⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ¹¹ lan²⁴⁻¹¹ i²⁴/

Proverb

江山易改，本性難移

1. a leopard can't change its spots

   • 雖然江山易改但本性難移愛你愛甲白目眉 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
     虽然江山易改但本性难移爱你爱甲白目眉 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]

     From: 2021 March 14, 愛情你比我想的閣較偉大 (Oh Love, You Are Much Greater Than I Imagined), wrttien by 黃奇斌 (Ki-pin N̂g), performed by 茄子蛋 (EggPlantEgg)

     sui-jiân Kang-san ī-kài tān pún-sèng lân-î ài lí ài kah pe̍h ba̍k-bâi [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     [Though] things change any moment / But I’m still the same person / Love you always, till the end

Synonyms

• (Hokkien) 牛就是牛，牽到北京也是牛 / 牛就是牛，牵到北京也是牛