弱ruò水shuǐ三sān千qiān，只zhǐ取qǔ一yī瓢piáo飲yǐn

What does 弱水三千，只取一瓢飲 (ruò shuǐ sān qiān zhǐ qǔ yī piáo yǐn) mean?

弱水三千，只取一瓢飲 (ruò shuǐ sān qiān zhǐ qǔ yī piáo yǐn) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "the weak water stretches three thousand li, I take only one ladle to drink." In use it means: In a world of infinite options, choosing one is the act of commitment. The ocean is vast, but you only need one cup. Devotion means drinking from this cup and not looking at the ocean. 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 Rabbit.

Literally: "the weak water stretches three thousand li, I take only one ladle to drink."

The reading

The river is three thousand li long and you could drink from any part of it. But you chose this bend, this handful, this specific water. That is love. That is commitment. That is every important decision: not the absence of alternatives but the presence of a choice. The water you did not drink does not matter. The water you chose does.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie兔 Year of the Rabbit

Source Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 (Cao Xueqin 曹雪芹), ch. 91; Buddhist origin

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 Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.