諺語 · a single proverb
靜水深流
Simplified: 静水深流
What does 靜水深流 (jìng shuǐ shēn liú) mean?
靜水深流 (jìng shuǐ shēn liú) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "still water runs deep." In use it means: Quiet people often have the deepest thoughts and strongest character. 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 Snake.
Literally: "still water runs deep."
The reading
The river that makes the most noise is the shallowest. The deep channel moves in silence, carrying more water than the rapids ever will. Judge the current by what it moves, not by how much noise it makes.
What kind of proverb it is
Source folk saying; shared with Western proverb tradition
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 Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 靜水深流 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 靜水深流 (jìng shuǐ shēn liú) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from folk saying; shared with Western proverb tradition. 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 靜水深流?
In Mandarin it is jìng shuǐ shēn liú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 靜水深流 aloud in Mandarin.