諺語 · a single proverb
至善若水
What does 至善若水 (zhì shàn ruò shuǐ) mean?
至善若水 (zhì shàn ruò shuǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "supreme goodness is like water." In use it means: The highest form of virtue resembles water: it benefits all things without competing, flows to the lowest places, and does not assert itself. 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: "supreme goodness is like water."
The reading
Water does not climb over things. It flows around them. It does not insist on going through the wall. It finds the gap. And after it has passed, the field is green, the well is full, and the water has not kept score. That is the form goodness takes when it has stopped needing credit.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 8 (Laozi)
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.
大道至簡
dà dào zhì jiǎn
The deepest truths are plain.
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.
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 至善若水 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 至善若水 (zhì shàn ruò shuǐ) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Tao Te Ching 道德經, ch. 8 (Laozi). 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 至善若水?
In Mandarin it is zhì shàn ruò shuǐ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 至善若水 aloud in Mandarin.