諺語 · a single proverb
隨機應變
Simplified: 随机应变
What does 隨機應變 (suí jī yìng biàn) mean?
隨機應變 (suí jī yìng biàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "follow opportunity, respond to change." In use it means: Adapt to circumstances as they change; respond flexibly to situations. 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 Monkey.
Literally: "follow opportunity, respond to change."
The reading
The water takes the shape of every vessel without losing its nature as water. Adaptation is not surrender but a kind of intelligence that knows the difference between what is essential and what is merely a current form. Stay water; change shape.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese proverb (common in military and strategic texts)
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 Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 隨機應變 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 隨機應變 (suí jī yìng biàn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese proverb (common in military and strategic texts). 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 隨機應變?
In Mandarin it is suí jī yìng biàn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 隨機應變 aloud in Mandarin.