諺語 · a single proverb
船到橋頭自然直
Simplified: 船到桥头自然直
What does 船到橋頭自然直 (chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí) mean?
船到橋頭自然直 (chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "when the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten." In use it means: Problems often resolve themselves when the moment of confrontation actually arrives; worry in advance accomplishes little. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rat.
Literally: "when the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten."
The reading
The river bends. The bridge looms. And the helmsman is anxious. But the current knows the channel, and the boat has been through bridges before. Not every problem requires advance solving. Some of them need you to show up and let the situation teach you the angle.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk proverb, widespread in Jiangnan river culture
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
大道至簡
dà dào zhì jiǎn
The deepest truths are plain.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 船到橋頭自然直 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 船到橋頭自然直 (chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk proverb, widespread in Jiangnan river culture. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 船到橋頭自然直?
In Mandarin it is chuán dào qiáo tóu zì rán zhí. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 船到橋頭自然直 aloud in Mandarin.