三sān天tiān打dǎ魚yú，兩liǎng天tiān曬shài網wǎng

What does 三天打魚，兩天曬網 (sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shài wǎng) mean?

三天打魚，兩天曬網 (sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shài wǎng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "three days fishing, two days drying the net." In use it means: Working inconsistently and without commitment; half-hearted effort produces nothing. 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 Monkey.

Literally: "three days fishing, two days drying the net."

The reading

The net dries while the fish swim. The person who works when they feel like it and rests when they do not is not balancing. They are stalling. Consistency does not mean never resting. It means the rest is part of the plan, not a replacement for it.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie猴 Year of the Monkey

Source folk proverb; common Chinese admonition

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 Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.