諺語 · a single proverb
順水推舟
Simplified: 顺水推舟
What does 順水推舟 (shùn shuǐ tuī zhōu) mean?
順水推舟 (shùn shuǐ tuī zhōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "follow the current to push the boat." In use it means: Go with the natural flow of events; act in accord with the situation. 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: "follow the current to push the boat."
The reading
The current already knows where it is going. The boatman who fights it spends everything to arrive exhausted; the one who reads it and leans slightly arrives with energy to spare. There is a grace in not confusing resistance with strength.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Ming Dynasty 明·馮夢龍《醒世恆言》 (Xǐng Shì Héng Yán)
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.
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.
心如止水
xīn rú zhǐ shuǐ
A heart as still and clear as motionless water.
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 順水推舟 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 順水推舟 (shùn shuǐ tuī zhōu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Ming Dynasty 明·馮夢龍《醒世恆言》 (Xǐng Shì Héng Yán). 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 順水推舟?
In Mandarin it is shùn shuǐ tuī zhōu. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 順水推舟 aloud in Mandarin.