諺語 · a single proverb
覆水難收
Simplified: 覆水难收
What does 覆水難收 (fù shuǐ nán shōu) mean?
覆水難收 (fù shuǐ nán shōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "spilled water is hard to recover." In use it means: What is done cannot be undone. Like water poured onto the ground, some actions are irreversible. The moment of spilling is the last moment of control. 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: "spilled water is hard to recover."
The reading
The jar tipped. The water spread. You can stand there looking at the wet ground or you can go fill another jar. Both are valid responses. Only one of them ends with water. The spill is real and permanent and also in the past. The next jar is in the future. Choose your direction.
What kind of proverb it is
Source legend of Jiang Ziya 姜子牙 and his wife; folk origin
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 覆水難收 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 覆水難收 (fù shuǐ nán shōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from legend of Jiang Ziya 姜子牙 and his wife; folk origin. 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 覆水難收?
In Mandarin it is fù shuǐ nán shōu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 覆水難收 aloud in Mandarin.