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
Literally: “The rivers and mountains are easily changed, but one's inherent nature is difficult to move”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiāngshānyìgǎi, běnxìngnányí

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

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gong¹ saan¹ ji⁶ goi², bun² sing³ naan⁴ ji⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiāngshānyìgǎi, běnxìngnányí
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤ ㄕㄢ ㄧˋ ㄍㄞˇ , ㄅㄣˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiangshanyìgǎi, běnsìngnányí
    • Wade–Giles: chiang¹-shan¹-i⁴-kai³, pên³-hsing⁴-nan²-i²
    • Yale: jyāng-shān-yì-gǎi-, běn-syìng-nán-yí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiangshanyihgae, beenshinqnanyi
    • Palladius: цзяншаньигай, бэньсиннаньи (czjanšanʹigaj, bɛnʹsinnanʹi)
    • 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/

Proverb

1. a leopard can't change its spots