諺語 · a single proverb
水落石出
What does 水落石出 (shuǐ luò shí chū) mean?
水落石出 (shuǐ luò shí chū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "When the water recedes, the stones appear." In use it means: The truth will eventually be revealed when concealing circumstances fade away. Time strips away pretense and exposes what was always underneath. 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: "When the water recedes, the stones appear.."
The reading
Patience is the only investigator that never fails. The water does not hide the stones out of malice; it simply takes time for the level to drop. Every secret has a season, and every concealment has a tide that will eventually pull back. Rushing to uncover truth often muddies the water further. Wait long enough, and the riverbed shows you everything.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Sū Shì (苏轼), Hòu Chìbì Fù (后赤壁赋), Northern Song Dynasty
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 水落石出 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 水落石出 (shuǐ luò shí chū) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Sū Shì (苏轼), Hòu Chìbì Fù (后赤壁赋), Northern Song Dynasty. 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 水落石出?
In Mandarin it is shuǐ luò shí chū. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 水落石出 aloud in Mandarin.