諺語 · a single proverb
大海撈針
Simplified: 大海捞针
What does 大海撈針 (dà hǎi lāo zhēn) mean?
大海撈針 (dà hǎi lāo zhēn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "fishing for a needle in the ocean." In use it means: An almost impossible search. The ocean is vast, the needle is tiny, and the odds are against you. Some tasks are not difficult. They are absurd. 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: "fishing for a needle in the ocean."
The reading
The needle is real. The ocean is also real. The mismatch between the size of the search and the size of the object is the whole point. Some problems are not meant to be solved by brute force. They are meant to be reframed: stop searching the ocean and figure out where the needle would drift.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk proverb 民間諺語; Journey to the West 西遊記 usage
Sits beside
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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 大海撈針 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 大海撈針 (dà hǎi lāo zhēn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from folk proverb 民間諺語; Journey to the West 西遊記 usage. 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 大海撈針?
In Mandarin it is dà hǎi lāo zhēn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 大海撈針 aloud in Mandarin.