諺語 · a single proverb
水滴石穿
What does 水滴石穿 (shuǐ dī shí chuān) mean?
水滴石穿 (shuǐ dī shí chuān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "water drop, stone pierced." In use it means: Constant effort, no matter how small, will eventually overcome any obstacle. 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 Snake.
Literally: "water drop, stone pierced."
The reading
The stone is indifferent and massive and the drop is soft and small, and the drop wins not on any given day but over all the days together. There is a geometry to persistence that force cannot access: repetition bends what impact cannot break. Show up again. That is the whole strategy.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Song Dynasty 宋·羅大經《鶴林玉露》 (Hè Lín Yù Lù, Luo Dajing)
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 Perseverance & the Long Road, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 水滴石穿 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 水滴石穿 (shuǐ dī shí chuān) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Song Dynasty 宋·羅大經《鶴林玉露》 (Hè Lín Yù Lù, Luo Dajing). 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?
In Mandarin it is shuǐ dī shí chuān. 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 aloud in Mandarin.