諺語 · a single proverb
水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷
Simplified: 水滴石穿，绳锯木断
What does 水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷 (shuǐ dī shí chuān, shéng jù mù duàn) mean?
水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷 (shuǐ dī shí chuān, shéng jù mù duàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "water drops pierce stone, rope saws cut through wood." In use it means: Persistent small effort over time can accomplish what seems impossible; consistency defeats hardness. 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: "water drops pierce stone, rope saws cut through wood."
The reading
The stone is harder than the water. The wood is harder than the rope. And yet the water wins, and the rope wins, because they never stop. The lesson is not about power. It is about persistence. The softest force, applied without interruption, will eventually cut through the hardest resistance.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Shu 漢書 (Mei Cheng 枚乘); combined folk form widely quoted
Sits beside
上善若水
shàng shàn ruò shuǐ
The finest virtue is like water, which benefits all things and flows to the low places without contending.
大道至簡
dà dào zhì jiǎn
The deepest truths are plain.
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅
tiān xià zhī zhì róu chí chěng tiān xià zhī zhì jiān
The most yielding force in the world overcomes the most unyielding.
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 The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷 (shuǐ dī shí chuān, shéng jù mù duàn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Han Shu 漢書 (Mei Cheng 枚乘); combined folk form widely quoted. 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 水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷?
In Mandarin it is shuǐ dī shí chuān, shéng jù mù duàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 水滴石穿，繩鋸木斷 aloud in Mandarin.