滴dī水shuǐ之zhī恩ēn,，當dāng湧yǒng泉quán相xiāng報bào

What does 滴水之恩，當湧泉相報 (dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào) mean?

滴水之恩，當湧泉相報 (dī shuǐ zhī ēn, dāng yǒng quán xiāng bào) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Repay a drop of water's kindness with a gushing spring." In use it means: Even the smallest favor deserves great gratitude in return. One should repay kindness many times over. 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 Dog.

Literally: "Repay a drop of water's kindness with a gushing spring.."

The reading

Someone gave you a single drop when you were parched, and that drop was their whole ocean. The size of the gift matters less than the moment it arrived. Returning a spring for a drop is not excessive; it is proportional to what the drop meant. Generosity multiplies because memory does.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusLooks ahead
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Zengguang Xianwen (增广贤文), Ming dynasty compilation of folk wisdom.

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 Friendship, Trust & Speech, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.