臨lín淵yuān羨xiàn魚yú，不bù如rú退tuì而ér結jié網wǎng

What does 臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網 (lín yuān xiàn yú bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng) mean?

臨淵羨魚，不如退而結網 (lín yuān xiàn yú bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "standing at the deep pool envying fish, better to step back and weave a net." In use it means: Wishing for something without preparing is useless; step back and prepare the means. 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 Pig.

Literally: "standing at the deep pool envying fish, better to step back and weave a net."

The reading

Longing at the water's edge is not the problem; the problem is calling the longing a plan. The fish will not leap onto the bank out of sympathy for your hunger. The hour spent weaving is the hour that earns you everything the water holds.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie豬 Year of the Pig

Source Han Shu 漢書·董仲舒傳 (Dǒng Zhòngshū biography)

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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Pig, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.