諺語 · a single proverb
水能載舟亦能覆舟
Simplified: 水能载舟亦能覆舟
What does 水能載舟亦能覆舟 (shuǐ néng zài zhōu yì néng fù zhōu) mean?
水能載舟亦能覆舟 (shuǐ néng zài zhōu yì néng fù zhōu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "water can carry the boat, and can also capsize the boat." In use it means: The people can support a ruler or overthrow one; the same force that sustains can destroy. 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 can carry the boat, and can also capsize the boat."
The reading
The river does not change its nature depending on who asks it to carry them. Water supports what is placed on it correctly and unmakes what sits on it wrongly. The wise ruler who understood this-Tang Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, inheriting the wisdom-kept the people as the first consideration not from sentiment but from the clearest political perception: the force beneath you is the same force that could end you. Earn it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tang Taizong 唐太宗 (attributed, from Zhen Guan Zheng Yao 貞觀政要, compiled by Wu Jing)
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rat, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 水能載舟亦能覆舟 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 水能載舟亦能覆舟 (shuǐ néng zài zhōu yì néng fù zhōu) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Tang Taizong 唐太宗 (attributed, from Zhen Guan Zheng Yao 貞觀政要, compiled by Wu Jing). 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 水能載舟亦能覆舟?
In Mandarin it is shuǐ néng zài zhōu yì néng fù zhōu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 水能載舟亦能覆舟 aloud in Mandarin.