諺語 · a single proverb
見風使舵
Simplified: 见风使舵
What does 見風使舵 (jiàn fēng shǐ duò) mean?
見風使舵 (jiàn fēng shǐ duò) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "seeing the wind, steer the rudder." In use it means: Changing your position to match whoever is in power. Opportunism dressed as flexibility. 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: "seeing the wind, steer the rudder."
The reading
The sailor who reads the wind is a good sailor. The person who reads the political wind and flips is a survivor, not a leader. The difference is whether you are steering toward a destination or just away from trouble. One has a chart. The other has reflexes.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song dynasty usage; common in Ming/Qing novels
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 見風使舵 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 見風使舵 (jiàn fēng shǐ duò) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Song dynasty usage; common in Ming/Qing novels. 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 見風使舵?
In Mandarin it is jiàn fēng shǐ duò. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 見風使舵 aloud in Mandarin.