諺語 · a single proverb
遠水救不了近火
Simplified: 远水救不了近火
What does 遠水救不了近火 (yuǎn shuǐ jiù bù liǎo jìn huǒ) mean?
遠水救不了近火 (yuǎn shuǐ jiù bù liǎo jìn huǒ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "distant water cannot put out a nearby fire." In use it means: Remote resources cannot solve an immediate crisis; address urgent problems with what is at hand. 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 put out a nearby fire."
The reading
The well is a mile away and the kitchen is burning now. The water exists. The problem is not supply. The problem is time. Every crisis teaches the same geography lesson: what matters is not what you have, but what you have within reach. Build your resources close to where the fires are likely to start.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Han Feizi 韓非子, Shuo Lin 說林上
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 Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 遠水救不了近火 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 遠水救不了近火 (yuǎn shuǐ jiù bù liǎo jìn huǒ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Han Feizi 韓非子, Shuo Lin 說林上. 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 遠水救不了近火?
In Mandarin it is yuǎn shuǐ jiù bù liǎo jìn huǒ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 遠水救不了近火 aloud in Mandarin.