Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

may you live in interesting times

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.77 in modern English

Syllables
may y-ou live in in-ter-est-ing -times
IPA
42
Scrabble Score
28
Letters
6
Syllables
14
Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

A sardonic curse disguised as well-wishing, where interesting times refers to trouble.

Etymology

Popularly attributed to Chinese, but this is apocryphal; the true origin is unclear. Its closest Chinese equivalent is 寧為太平犬，不做亂世人 ("better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos"). Its earliest known use is in 1936 by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, British ambassador to China, who purported hearing the phrase. See May you live in interesting times § Origins on Wikipedia.

Questions

What does may you live in interesting times mean?
A sardonic curse disguised as well-wishing, where interesting times refers to trouble.
Where does may you live in interesting times come from?
Popularly attributed to Chinese, but this is apocryphal; the true origin is unclear. Its closest Chinese equivalent is 寧為太平犬，不做亂世人 ("better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos"). Its earliest known use is in 1936 by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, British ambassador to China, who purported hearing the phrase. See May you live in interesting times § Origins on Wikipedia.

How to pronounce may you live in interesting times

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “may you live in interesting times”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “may you live in interesting times”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “may you live in interesting times” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.