十shí五wǔ個gè吊diào桶tǒng打dǎ水shuǐ——qī——七shàng上bā八xià下

What does 十五個吊桶打水——七上八下 (shí wǔ gè diào tǒng dǎ shuǐ——qī shàng bā xià) mean?

十五個吊桶打水——七上八下 (shí wǔ gè diào tǒng dǎ shuǐ——qī shàng bā xià) is a two-part riddle-saying (xiēhòuyǔ 歇後語). Word for word it reads "Fifteen buckets drawing water-seven going up, eight going down." In use it means: A state of extreme anxiety and agitation, with the heart unsettled. The buckets going up and down in a well represent inner turmoil and nervous indecision. 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: "Fifteen buckets drawing water-seven going up, eight going down.."

The reading

Anxiety does not solve the problem it worries about; it only adds motion without direction. The buckets churn but the well does not get any deeper or shallower. Naming the feeling is the first step toward stilling the rope. Uncertainty is uncomfortable but it is not dangerous in itself; the danger is in the thrashing. A calm hand draws water more efficiently than fifteen frantic ones.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typexiēhòuyǔ 歇後語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie兔 Year of the Rabbit

Source Traditional number-based xiehouyu, found in Ming dynasty texts

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 Adversity & Resilience, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.