諺語 · a single proverb
遠水不救近火
Simplified: 远水不救近火
What does 遠水不救近火 (yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ) mean?
遠水不救近火 (yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "distant water cannot save near fire." In use it means: A distant solution is no help for an immediate problem; use what is close and available. 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 Horse.
Literally: "distant water cannot save near fire."
The reading
The lake that cannot be reached in time is no lake at all to the burning house. The brilliant long-term strategy is irrelevant when the present urgency has its own timeline. Triage is wisdom: read the room, read the fire, and work with what is in arm's reach right now.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Warring States 戰國策·韓策一 (Zhàn Guó Cè, Han Strategies I)
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 Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 遠水不救近火 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 遠水不救近火 (yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Warring States 戰國策·韓策一 (Zhàn Guó Cè, Han Strategies I). 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 遠水不救近火?
In Mandarin it is yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 遠水不救近火 aloud in Mandarin.