巴山蜀水 bā shān shǔ shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: ba and shu refer to the area of Sichuan. The mountains, hills and waters around Sichuan.
Trekking over mountains and across water bá shān shè shuǐ
Origin: "The Great Physician treks over mountains and across water, while my heart is worried." Zuo Zhuan (左传-襄公二十八年)："Trekking through the mountains, I am offended by the frost and dew."
Meaning: trekking over mountains: to go over mountains; wading through water: to cross a big river by foot. Going over mountains and crossing rivers by water. Describe the hardship of traveling long distances.
White Mountain and Black Water bái shān hēi shuǐ
Origin: Jin Shi - Century: "The place where the daughter was born has the Mixed Tong River and Changbai Mountain. The Mixed Tong River is also known as the Black Dragon River, and the so-called 'White Mountains and Black Waters' is also known."
Meaning: Changbai Mountain and Heilongjiang River. Generally refers to the northeastern region of China.
bai shui jianxin bái shuǐ jiàn xīn
Origin:
Meaning: Bai shui: clear water; jian: shine. Clear water can illuminate one's heart. Describe the human heart as pure as clear water.
Cup of water and a cart's salary bēi shuǐ chē xīn
Origin: Mengzi - Zhuzi Shang (孟子-告子上)："Today's human being is like using a cup of water to put out the fire of a cart's salary."
Meaning: To use a cup of water to put out a cart of firewood on fire. The metaphor is that the power is too small to solve the problem.
Bèi shuǐ yī zhàn
Origin: In the Historical Records of the Grand Historian (史记-淮阴侯列传), it is said that Han general Han Xin led his army in an attack on Zhao, and when he wore out the mouth of the defile, he ordered his generals to set up their positions with their backs against the river to engage the enemy. Han Xin's determination to fight to the death to win was strengthened by the fact that he was facing a big enemy with no way to retreat, and as a result, he defeated the Zhao army.
Meaning: Back to the water: to turn one's back to the water, indicating that there is no way of retreat. It is a metaphor for fighting to the death with the enemy.
冰寒于水bīng hán yú shuǐ
Origin: Xunzi, "Persuasion to Learning": "Ice, for which water is made, is cold in water." Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yanyuan, "Records of Famous Paintings of All Ages - VII - Southern Qi": "The superbus (Dao Min) began to learn from the master (Jie Bo), and the ice was colder than the water."
Meaning: Ice is colder than water. The metaphor is that the student is better than the teacher.
Bīng lái jiàng dǎng, shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn
Origin: Yuan-Wu Ming's The Great Battle of Pi Tong: "My Lord, it's good that the soldiers come to the defense, and the water comes to the earth to cover them up."
Meaning: It is said that no matter what means the other party uses, there is always a corresponding way to deal with it.
Bù fú shuǐ tǔ
Origin:
Meaning: not being able to adapt to the climate and eating habits of the place one moves to.
not pass water and fire bù tōng shuǐ huǒ
Origin: Han Shu - Sun Bao Zhuan (汉书-孙宝传)："Dumen can't pass water and fire."
Meaning: describes not communicating with people.
Cán shān shèng shuǐ
Origin: Tang Du Fu's poem "Accompanying Zheng Guangwen on a Tour of General He's Mountain and Forest": "The remaining water of the Cangjiang River breaks down, and the remnants of the mountain Jieshi opens up."
Meaning: refers to the remaining parts of a country after most of its territory has fallen. It is also used as a metaphor for the things that remain without being eliminated.
Che Shui Ma Long chē shuǐ mǎ lóng
Origin: Hou Han Shu - Ming De Ma Huang Huang Ji (后汉书-明德马皇后纪)："Forwardly passing on the Maodong Gate, I saw that those who asked for a place to live and work in the foreign families had cars like flowing water and horses like swimming dragons."
Meaning: Cars are like flowing water, horses are like swimming dragons. It describes the bustling scene with a lot of cars and horses coming and going.
Chen Xin Ru Shui chén xīn rú shuǐ
Origin: Han Shu Zheng Chong Zhuan (汉书-郑崇传)："My door is like a market, and my heart is like water."
Meaning: The heart is as clean as water. It is a metaphor for being a clean official.
Shou Shui Zhan Bo chǐ shuǐ zhàng bō
Origin: Tang Meng Jiao, one of the "Gentlemen Do Not Yuxu Shi Have Slandered and Destroyed People Make Poetry to Gift to Them": "I must know that the water is one foot high, and that the waves increase day and night."
Meaning: It is a metaphor for speaking exaggeratedly and untruthfully.
Drawing a knife to break the water chōu dāo duàn shuǐ
Origin: Tang Li Bai, "Xuancheng Xiexu Lou Preserved Farewell to the School Shushu Shuyun," "Drawing a knife to break the water is even more flowing, and lifting a cup to dispel sorrows is even more sorrowful."
Meaning: draw the knife: pull out the knife. Water: flowing water. Draw out the knife to cut off the flowing water. The metaphor is that it will not help, but will accelerate the development of the situation.
Out of the mountain spring water chū shān quán shuǐ
Origin: Tang Du Fu's poem "The Good Man": "In the mountain spring water is clear, out of the mountain spring water is turbid."
Meaning: out of the mountain: a metaphor for going out of the civil service. It refers to the fact that people who have become officials are not as innocent as they were when they were not officials.
Out of the water as a lotus flower chū shuǐ fú róng
Origin: Southern Dynasty - Liang Zhongrong, Poetry Pieces, vol. 1: "Xie's poems are like hibiscus coming out of the water, and his face is like a wrongly colored and skeletonized gold."
Meaning: hibiscus: lotus flower. The lotus flower which has just opened. Metaphorically speaking, the poems are fresh and unassuming. It also describes a naturally colorful woman.
Blowing and wrinkling a pool of spring water chuī zhòu yī chí chūn shuǐ
Origin: Southern Tang Dynasty-Feng Yansi's "Paying a Visit to the Golden Gate" lyrics: "The wind rises up, blowing and wrinkling a pool of spring water."
Meaning: Originally, it was described as the wind blowing on the surface of the water and the waves rippling. Later, it was used as an epigram of what's it to you or meddling in other people's business.
Spring Wind and Yishui chūn fēng yí shuǐ
Origin: "In Mo Chun, when the spring uniforms are ready, the crowned five or six persons, and the children six or seven persons, bathe in YI, have a summer of rain for the wind and the dance, and sing and return."
Meaning: The original meaning was that adults and children took a bath in the water of Yi and blew the wind on the summer-summer dance. It refers to the joy of living in a relaxed, natural and noble way.
Sipping beans and drinking water chuò shū yǐn shuǐ
Origin: "Xunzi - The Theory of Heaven": "A gentleman sipping beans and drinking water is not a fool, but a knuckle-dragger." Rituals - Tan Gongxia: "Confucius said: Sipping beans and drinking water to fulfill their joy, this is called filial piety."
Meaning: sip: eat; beans: beans. When you are hungry, you eat bean soup, and when you are thirsty, you drink water. It describes a life of hardship.
打落水狗 dǎ luò shuǐ gǒu
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for continuing to fight against bad people who have already failed.
dàn shuǐ jiāo qíng (淡水交情dàn shuǐ jiāo qíng)
出处："Zhuangzi-山木"："And a gentleman's friendship is as light as water, and a villain's friendship is sweet; a gentleman is light enough to be close to a friend, and a villain is sweet enough to be extinct."
Meaning: Friendship is as clear as water. It refers to friends who are not based on snobbery.
Dēng shān lín shuǐ
Origin: Warring States-Chu-Song Yu, "Nine Arguments": "Dēng shān lín shuǐ sends will return."
Meaning: describing a long journey. It also refers to traveling to the mountains.
Dripping water without leakage dī shuǐ bù lòu
Origin: Sung Zhu Xi, "Zhu Zi Yu Zi - Yi San": "And to say that there are no seamless gaps in the extremely dense place, and that no water can leak out."
Meaning: Not a drop of water escapes. It describes a very meticulous and thorough way of speaking and doing things, which is impeccable. It also describes that the money is all in the hand, and easily refuses to come out.
滴水成冰dī shuǐ chéng bīng
Origin: 宋-钱易《南部新书》："Severe winter窶冱 cold, and water drips into ice."
Meaning: water drips down and turns into ice. It describes the weather as very cold.
滴水穿石dī shuǐ chuān shí
Origin:宋-罗大经《鹤林玉露》："绳锯木断，水滴石穿。"
Meaning: Water can penetrate a stone if it keeps dripping. The metaphor is that if you have perseverance and keep working hard, things will surely succeed.
Woven mat like water diàn wén rú shuǐ
Origin: Song Su Shi, "Five Songs of Nantang", "Sweeping the floor and burning incense to sleep in the closed pavilion, the woven mat is like water and the tent is like smoke." Song Xin Qiji's "Walking on the Royal Street": "The gauze kitchen is like a dance, and the woven mat is like water, so there is another cool place to live."
Meaning: Woven mat: bamboo. The fine texture of the bamboo mat is like cool water. It is often used to describe the coolness of a summer night.
Dou Liter of Water dǒu shēng zhī shuǐ
Origin: "I am a minister of the waves of the East Sea, but will the king not have a dou liter of water to keep me alive?"
Meaning: a metaphor for meager support.
反水不收fǎn shuǐ bù shōu
Origin: 《后汉书-光武帝纪上》："Reflecting against the water, I regret it."
Meaning: The water has been poured out and cannot be taken back. Metaphorically speaking, it is irretrievable.
Feng Qi Shui Chong fēng qǐ shuǐ yǒng
Origin: Song Su Shi, "After the Red Cliff Fugue": "The grass and trees shook when I rowed a long whistle, the mountains sounded and the valleys responded, and the winds rose and the water surged."
Meaning: the wind is blowing and the water is surging.
Fēng xíng shuǐ shàng
Origin: Zhouyi - Lax: "The Xiang said: the wind travels on the water, lax."
Meaning: a metaphor for natural and smooth flow, without pretense.
Fu Hibiscus Out of Water fú róng chū shuǐ
Origin: Southern Dynasty - Liang Zhong Rong, "Poetry", Volume 1: "Xie's poems are like hibiscus out of water, and his face is like wrongly-colored and open-worked gold."
Meaning: Hibiscus: lotus flower. The lotus flower that has just opened. Metaphorically speaking, the poems are fresh and unassuming. It also describes a woman who is naturally colorful.
Fù shuǐ nán shōu (覆水难收fù shuǐ nán shōu)
Origin: Hou Han Shu - He Jin Zhuan (后汉书-何进传)："State affairs are easy to be easy? It is better to think y about the fact that the water cannot be recovered."
Meaning: It is difficult to take back the water poured on the ground. The metaphor is that things have been finalized and cannot be undone.
Gāo shān liú shuǐ
Origin: Lie Zi Tang Wen: "Bo Ya played the qin and aspired to climb a high mountain, and Zhong Ziqi said: 'Good, E'e Ruosi is like Mount Tai.' Aspire to flowing water, said: 'Good, oceanic Ruoxi if the river.'"
Meaning: a metaphor for a confidant or soulmate. It is also a metaphor for a musical piece of high quality.
Sea Water Flock Flying hǎi shuǐ qún fēi
Origin: Han Yang Xiong, "Tai Xuan Jing - Drama": "Sea Water Flock Flying, Ultimately Unspeakable."
Meaning: a metaphor for an unsettled country.
River water does not wash the boat hé shuǐ bù xǐ chuán
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for being unrelated or at peace with each other.
Hóng shuǐ héng liú
Origin: Mengzi - Tengwengong Shang (孟子-滕文公上)："At the time of Yao, the world was not yet at peace, and the floods flowed horizontally, overflowing the world.
Meaning: Horizontal flow: not following the course of a river. Flooding. Metaphorically speaking, the evil way is rampant.
Floods and ferocious beasts hóng shuǐ měng shòu
Origin: "In the past, Yu suppressed floods and the world was pacified, and the Duke of Zhou was able to reconcile the barbarians with the beasts and drive them away, and the people were peaceful."
Meaning: Fierce Beasts: Beasts that eat people and animals. It is a metaphor for a great scourge.
Huáng hé shuǐ qīng (黄河水清huáng hé shuǐ qīng)
Origin: Three Kingdoms - Wei - Li Kang (李康), "Treatise on Fortune and Destiny", "The Yellow River is clear and the saints are born."
Meaning: The water of the Yellow River is always turbid, and if it becomes clear it is regarded as an auspicious sign. It is also a metaphor for something rare and hard to come by.
hún shuǐ mō yú
Origin:
Meaning: hún shuǐ mō yú (浑水摸鱼hún shuǐ mō yú)
Meaning: hún shuǐ mō yú: unclear water. It is a metaphor for taking advantage of confusion to reap benefits from it.
Hùn shuǐ mō yú
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for taking advantage of confusion to reap benefits from it.
Fire plowing and water hoe huǒ gēng shuǐ nòu
Origin: Shiji - Pinghuai Shu: "Jiangnan fire plowing and water hoeing, so that the starving people get to flow on the food between the river and Huaihuai, and want to stay, to stay in the place."
meaning: hoe: weed. Ancient a primitive way of farming.
jī shuǐ chéng yuān
Origin: Xunzi - Persuasion: "Accumulating soil into mountains, wind and rain will not rise; accumulating water into an abyss, the dragon will not be born."
Meaning: It is a metaphor for the accumulation of small things into big things.
Jī shuǐ wéi shān (积土为山), jī shuǐ wéi hǎi (积水为海)
出处："Xunzi-儒效" (Xunzi-儒效)："Accumulate earth to become a mountain, and water to become an ocean."
Meaning: To pile up earth to become a mountain, and to store up water to become an ocean. It is a metaphor for the accumulation of little into much.
交淡若水 jiāo dàn ruò shuǐ
Origin: "Zhuangzi - Shanshui": "And a gentleman's friendship is as light as water, while a villain's friendship is as sweet as sweet."
Meaning: referring to moral dealings.
Jiāo lóng dé shuǐ
Origin: "Guanzi - Situation": "The lord of man waits to get the people, and then becomes his might, so it is said that: the augur dragon gets the water, and the god can be set up, the tiger and the leopard get the phantom, and the might can be carried."
Meaning: Legend has it that when the dragon gets water, it can make clouds and rain and soar up to the sky. It is a metaphor for a talented person to get a chance to show his talents. It is also a metaphor for getting out of a difficult situation.
Near the water tower jìn shuǐ lóu tái
Origin: Song Yu Wenbao, "Record of the Clear Night": "Fan Wenzheng Gong town of Qiantang, the military officials were all recommended, but only the inspector Su Lin did not see the record, he was to offer a poem: 'Near the water tower first get the moon, the flowers and trees towards the sun are easy to meet the spring.' "
Meaning: A building near the water gets the moonlight first. It is a metaphor for a certain position or relationship that can give priority to benefits or convenience.
Near the water the tower gets the moon first jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuè
Origin: Song Yu Wenbao, "Record of Clear Nights", "Lord Fan Wenzheng was in the town of Qiantang, and when all the military officers were recommended to him, but only the inspector, Su Lin, did not see the record, he presented a poem: 'Near the water the tower gets the moon first, and toward the sun the flowers and trees are easy to meet the spring. '"
Meaning: A building near the water gets the moonlight first. It is a metaphor for getting some benefit or convenience first due to proximity to certain people or things.
well water does not violate river water jǐng shuǐ bù fàn hé shuǐ
Origin: Qing Cao Xueqin, Dream of Red Mansions, 69th episode: "I am 'well water does not violate river water' with him, so why did I rush him?"
Meaning: a metaphor for each minding his own business and not offending each other.
Mirror flower water moon jìng huā shuǐ yuè
Origin: Tang Pei Huo, "Inscription on the Monk Record of the Tang's Late Left Street, Inside the Offering of the Three Teachings Talking about Guiding the Driving of the Great Deity of Anguoji Temple's Superior Seat Giving Purple Square Robes to the Master of the Law of Dada, the Yuan Mysterious Pagoda": "The great building blocks are destroyed once and for all. Water and moon mirrors, mindless going and coming."
Meaning: the flower in the mirror, the moon in the water. Originally refers to the flexible and inscrutable mood in the poem, and later compared to the illusory scene.
Save the people from water and fire jiù mín yú shuǐ huǒ
Origin: "To save the people from water and fire, it is enough to take their disabilities."
Meaning: to save the people from a deep disaster.
靠山吃山，靠水吃水kào shān chī shān, kào shuǐ chī shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for living on whatever is available in one's own place.
Lianquan Ràng Shui lián quán ràng shuǐ
Origin: Nan Shi - Hu Huan Zhi Biography
Source: 《Nan Shi - Hu Huan Zhi Biography》: "The emperor said that the second and the Guangzhou Greedy Springs, and asked Bo Nian: ''卿州再有此水不?'. Answer: 'Liangzhou only have Wenchuan, Wuxiang, Lianquan, let water.'"
Meaning: the original metaphor for the integrity of the officials, and later also a metaphor for the simplicity of the customs of the terroir.
Liú nián sì shuǐ
Origin: Ming Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion, 10th episode: "For you, as a flower and a beautiful woman, it seems to be like a stream of water."
Meaning: 流年：光阴. It describes that time never returns.
Running water does not rot, a door hinge does not become worm-eaten liú shuǐ bù fǔ, hù shū bù dù
Origin: Lü Shi Chun Qiu - The Complete Counting of Numbers: "Running water does not rot, a door hinge does not become worm-eaten, and the movement is also moving."
Meaning: flowing water does not stink, and the axle of a door that is often turned does not rot. The metaphor is that things in constant motion are not susceptible to erosion.
liú shuǐ cháo zōng (流水朝宗)
出处："Poetry-小雅-沔水"："沔彼流水，朝宗于海。"
Meaning: Chaozong: originally refers to the ancient vassal sons of heaven, and borrows the term to refer to a hundred rivers entering the sea. It is a metaphor for the direction of people's hearts.
Running water and falling flowers liú shuǐ luò huā
Origin: Southern Tang Dynasty - Li Yu, "Wave Amoy Sand", "Running Water and Falling Flowers Spring Goes, Heaven and Earth."
Meaning: It describes the scene of spring's demise. It is also a metaphor for the passing of good times.
Running water and peach blossoms liú shuǐ táo huā
Origin: Tang Li Bai's poem "Questions and Answers in the Mountain": "Peach blossoms and running water go far and deep, and there is a different heaven and earth that is not on earth."
Meaning: describes the beauty of spring. It is also a metaphor for the love between a man and a woman.
Running Water Without Love liú shuǐ wú qíng
Origin: Tang Bai Juyi, "Passing the Yuan Family's House of Cuixin": "Falling flowers do not say anything to the empty trees, and running water enters the ground without love."
Meaning: The flowing water never returns. It is a metaphor for the passing of time with no intention to stay.
Lǜ shuǐ qīng shān
Origin: Song Shi Pu Ji, "The Five Lanterns of the Hui Yuan": "He asked, 'How was it when Niu Tou had not yet met the Four Ancestors?' The teacher said: 'Green mountains and green water.' He said: 'How was it after meeting the Four Ancestors?' The Master said: 'Green water and green mountains.'"
Meaning: a general term for beautiful mountains and rivers.
Falling Flowers and Flowing Water luò huā liú shuǐ
Origin: Tang Dynasty - Li Qunyu's poem "Bonghe Zhang Sheren Sends Qin Lianshi to Return to Cengong Mountain": "Lanpu Cangcang spring wants to be twilight, and falling flowers and flowing water complain about being separated from my heart." The Five Dynasties South Tang Dynasty-Li Yu's "The Wave of Sand": "The flowing water and the falling flowers of spring go away, in heaven and on earth."
Meaning: Originally, it describes the decay of the scenery in the twilight of spring. Later, it was often used as a metaphor for being defeated.
Falling flowers have intention, flowing water has no mercy luò huā yǒu yì, liú shuǐ wú qíng
Originally from: "Continuing the Transmission of the Illuminating Lamp Records - Zen Master Shigui of Longxiang Zhu'an, Wenzhou": "Falling flowers have intention to follow the flowing water, and the flowing water has no mercy to love the falling flowers."
Meaning: a metaphor for being affectionate on one side and uninterested on the other (mostly referring to men and women in love).
Mù běn shuǐ yuán
Origin: Zuo Zhuan - Zhaogong Nine Years："I am in Běn, as if there is a crown of clothes, an origin of water and wood, and a master of the people's schemes."
Meaning: the root of trees, the source of water. Metaphorically speaking, it is the root of things or the cause of things.
Boating against the water nì shuǐ xíng zhōu
Origin:
Meaning: to row a boat against the direction of the current. The metaphor is that if you don't make an effort, you will have to go backwards.
Niú bù hē shuǐ qiǎng àn tóu
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for using coercion to bring about compliance.
Ping Shui Xiang Feng píng shuǐ xiāng féng
Origin: Tang - Wang Bo, "Preface to Tengwang Pavilion", "Ping Shui Xiang Feng, all the guests from other countries."
Meaning: Floating ping pong drifts with the water, gathering and dispersing uncertainly. It is a metaphor for the chance meeting of people who have never known each other before.
Splash cold water pō lěng shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for frustrating someone's enthusiasm or excitement.
Thousand Mountains and Ten Thousand Waters qiān shān wàn shuǐ
Origin: Tang Dynasty, Zhang Qiao's poem "Sending a Former Friend to Weiyang": "Parting from the river by the willows, Thousand Mountains and Ten Thousand Waters of Jade are far away."
Meaning: ten thousand rivers, a thousand mountains. It describes a difficult and distant road.
Qīng shān lǜ shuǐ
Origin: Song Shi Pu Ji, "The Five Lanterns of the Hui Yuan": "Q: 'How was it when Niutou had not yet met the Four Ancestors?' The teacher said: 'Green mountains and green water.' He said: 'How was it after meeting the Four Ancestors?' The Master said: 'Green water and green mountains.'"
Meaning: a general term for beautiful mountains and rivers.
Qīng chén zhuó shuǐ
Origin: Wei of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Zhi's "Poem of Seven Sorrows": "If you are clear of the dust of the road, and if you are turbid of the cement, the floats and sinks are of different potentials, and when is the rendezvous to be harmonized?"
Meaning: clear dust: a metaphor for others; turbid water: a metaphor for oneself. The metaphor is that there is no hope for the meeting because they are far apart.
Qīng tāng guǎ shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: describes a dish with too much water and too few condiments, which has no flavor.
Dragonfly dotting water qīng tíng diǎn shuǐ
Origin: Tang Du Fu's poem "Qujiang River": "Nymphs wearing flowers are seen y, dragonflies dotting water fly in style."
Meaning: It refers to the action of dragonflies touching the water with their tails while flying on the water surface. It is a metaphor for doing things superficially and not y.
Emotional deep pool water qíng shēn tán shuǐ
Origin: Tang Li Bai's poem "Gift to Wang Lun", "Peach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep, not as deep as Wang Lun's sending me love."
Meaning: a metaphor for deep friendship.
Poor Mountain and Evil Water qióng shān è shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: poor mountain: barren mountain; evil water: rivers and lakes that often cause disasters, etc.. Describe the very poor natural conditions.
qiū shuǐ yī rén
Origin: "Poetry - Qin Feng - Reed Reed": "Reed reed, white dew for frost; the so-called Iren, in the water side."
Meaning: refers to the person in thoughts.
Rú rén yǐn shuǐ, lěng nuǎn zì zhī
Origin: Sung Shi Daoyuan, "Records of the Jingde Chuanluan Lantern": "Although a certain A in the Huangmei with the crowd, actually did not save their own face. Now, I have been instructed to enter the place where, like a man drinking water, he knows that he is cold and warm, and the practitioner is the master of a certain armor."
Meaning: a generalized reference to what one has experienced, one knows the sweetness and bitterness.
Rú shǔ fù hè
Origin:
Meaning: like water flowing towards a large puddle. It describes many people running to the same destination in droves.
Rú shǔ tóu shí
Origin: Sung Yang Shi (龜山语录)："At that time, Xie Xiandao was also present. Xie was honest, but not as smart as Mr. Yang. Therefore, Mingdao said that Mr. Yang was smart, and Mr. Xie was like water casting stones, but he did not fail to call him good."
Meaning: Like water thrown at a stone, it doesn't enter at all. It is a metaphor for hearing but not hearing or words without effect.
Rú yú dé shuǐ
Origin: Three Kingdoms Zhi-Shu Shu-Geliang Zhuan: "Lone has Kongming, as if the fish has water."
Meaning: It is like a fish getting water. It is a metaphor for having something to rely on. It is also compared to getting the person who is very compatible with oneself or the environment which is very suitable for oneself.
Ruò shuǐ zhī gé
Origin: Song Hu Jizong (宋-胡继宗)《书言故事-地理类》："Far away from being able to reach it, the clouds are as separated by weak water."
Meaning: a metaphor for being too far apart to reach.
Sā shuǐ ná yú (撒水拿鱼sā shuǐ ná yú)
出处：
意思：Draining water to catch fish. It is a metaphor for things that are easy to do without much effort.
山长水远 shān cháng shuǐ yuǎn
Origin: Tang Dynasty-Xu Hun's poem "I will accompany Shangshu Cui Gong to feast at Haihuanetang for a trip to the south": "I boasted that the books and swords were of no benefit, and that the water is far away from the mountains and the mountains are long, and that I am worried every step of the way."
Meaning: The road is far away and dangerous.
Shan Gao Shui Chang shān gāo shuǐ cháng
Origin: Tang Liu Yuxi's "The Fugue of Hope": "The Dragon Gate is nowhere to be seen, and the clouds are pale. The trees are so high that the mountains are high and the waters are long."
Meaning: as high as mountains, as long as water. The original metaphor is that a person's demeanor or reputation exists forever like a high mountain. Later, it is compared to the deepness of grace and virtue.
Shān gāo shuǐ dī
Origin: Ming Feng Menglong, "Waking Up to the World", Volume 8: "In case there are some mountains as high as the water, and there are some arms, then half of the original hiring is returned, and that is also considered to be their loyalty."
Meaning: a metaphor for misfortune. Mostly refers to the death of people.
Shān guāng shuǐ sè
Origin: Tang Bai Juyi's poem "Evening View Above the Bodhi Temple": "The pavilion is high and the trees are shallow and deep, and the mountain light and the water color are all night and all day."
Meaning: The water waves are flooded with beautiful colors, and the scenery on the mountain is clear. It describes the beautiful scenery of mountains and waters.
Shān míng shuǐ xiù
Origin: Sung Huang Tingjian, "Suddenly Mountain Stream - Gift to Chen Xiang of Hengyang", "The eyebrows converge on the waves of autumn, and all of the Hunan province is full of mountainous, bright water."
Meaning: The mountains are bright and the water is beautiful. Describe the beautiful scenery.
Shān qīng shuǐ xiù
Origin: Song - Huang Tingjian "Leaning on the Mountain Stream - Gift to Chen Xiang of Hengyang": "The mountains are bright and the water is beautiful."
Meaning: describing the beautiful scenery.
Shān qióng shuǐ jìn (山穷水尽shān qióng shuǐ jìn)
出处：Song-Lu You (宋-陆游)《游山西村》诗："Mountains are heavy with doubtful water, and there is no way out, while flowers in the darkness of the willows give rise to another village."
Meaning: The mountains and water have come to an end. The metaphor is that there is no way out of a desperate situation.
山水相连 shān shuǐ xiāng lián
Origin:
Meaning: meaning that the borders are connected together.
Remaining Water and Remaining Mountains shèng shuǐ cán shān
Origin: Tang Du Fu's poem "Traveling to General He's Mountain and Forest", "Remaining Water Cangjiang River Breaks, Remaining Mountain Jieshi Opens."
Meaning: Broken mountains and rivers. It mostly describes the scenery of the land after the death of a country or after a change. It is also a metaphor for the things that remain without being eliminated.
Water color and mountain light shuǐ sè shān guāng
Origin: Tang Bai Juyi's poem "Evening View Above the Bodhi Temple": "The pavilion is high and the trees are shallow and deep, and the mountain light and water color are all night and all day."
Meaning: The water waves are flooded with beautiful colors, and the scenery on the mountain is clear. It describes the beautiful scenery of mountains and waters.
Shuǐ shēn huǒ rè
Origin: Mengzi - Liang Huiwangxia (梁惠王下)："As the water grows deeper, as the fire grows hotter, so does the transportation."
Meaning: The disasters suffered by the people are getting deeper and deeper like water and hotter and hotter like fire. It is a metaphor for the extreme suffering of the people.
Shui xiu shan ming shuǐ xiù shān míng
Origin: Song Huang Tingjian, "Leaning on the Mountain Stream - Gift to Chen Xiang of Hengyang", "The eyebrows converge on the waves of autumn, and all the way to Hunan, the mountains and waters are bright."
Meaning: The mountains are bright and the water is beautiful. Describe the beautiful scenery.
Le Shan Le Shui yào shān yào shuǐ
Origin: "The knower is happy with the mountains, and the benevolent is happy with the water."
Meaning: music: love, hobby. Some people love mountains, others love water. The metaphor is that people have different hobbies.
Yī bài rú shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: describing an army that has suffered a great defeat and is as unmanageable as water splashed on the ground.
Yī chǐ shuǐ shí zhàng bō
Origin: One of Tang Meng Jiao's "Gentlemen Don't Yushu Shi Have Slandered and Destroyed People Make Poems to Gift to Them": "Know that the water is one foot, and that the waves increase in height day and night."
Meaning: It is a metaphor for speaking exaggeratedly and untruthfully.
Yī kǒu xī jìn xī jiāng shuǐ
Origin: Sung Shi Daoyuan, "The Record of the Lights of Jingde Chuan," "When you have sucked up all the water of the West River in one mouthful, I will tell you the way."
Meaning: Originally, it means a single breath of air, through all the laws. Later, it was used as a metaphor for being overly hasty and wanting to achieve one's goal at once.
Yī qīng rú shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: describes an official who is honest and clean, and who does not embezzle or accept bribes. It also describes very clean.
一潭死水 yī tán sǐ shuǐ
Origin:
Meaning: pool: a deep water pit. A pool of stagnant water. A metaphor for a stagnant and dull situation.
Yī wǎn shuǐ duān píng
Origin:
Meaning: a bowl of water that is leveled with water.
Yī yī dài shuǐ
Origin: Nan Shi (Southern History) - Chronicle of the Later Lord of Chen: "I am the parent of the people, so can I not save them by taking them with me in one piece of clothing?"
Meaning: a narrow strip of water like a sash. It refers to the fact that although there are rivers, lakes and seas separating them, they are not far enough apart to be a hindrance to interaction.
Yǐ shí tóu shuǐ
Origin: Lie Zi - Speaking of Characters: "Duke Bai asked, 'If I throw a stone into the water, how will it be?' Confucius said, 'Those who are good at not having one in Wu can take it.'" Three Kingdoms Wei - Li Xiaoyuan, "The Theory of Fortune and Destiny": "And his being met by Han Zu, his words are also like throwing a stone into the water, and there is no one to oppose them."
Meaning: like a stone thrown into water and sinks. It is a metaphor for getting along with each other.
Yǐ shuǐ jǐ shuǐ
Origin: "Zuo Zhuan - Zhaogong 20 years": "Jun called can, according to also said can, Jun called no, according to also said no. If water to water, who can say. If you use water to help water, who can eat it?"
Meaning: using water to add flavor to water. It is a metaphor for going along with the crowd, which is not good for things.
To save water with water yǐ shuǐ jiù shuǐ
Origin: "Zhuangzi - The World of Man": "It is to save fire with fire, and water with water, and the name is 'Yiduo'."
Meaning: The more water is diverted to put out a flood, the more the water flourishes. Metaphorically speaking, not only do not stop it, but on the contrary, it encourages it even more.
Yǐ shuǐ tóu shuǐ
Origin: Lie Zi - Speaking of Characters: "Duke Bai asked: 'If stone water is thrown into the water, what will happen?' Confucius said: 'Wu's good no one can take it.' Confucius said: 'If the water to throw water, how?' Confucius said, 'What is Zizi Mian, Yi Ya tastes it and knows it.'"
Meaning: pouring water from one river into another. Metaphorically speaking, things are similar and hard to recognize.
Drinking water and sipping beans yǐn shuǐ chuò shū
Origin: "Xunzi - The Treatise on Heaven": "A gentleman sipping beans and drinking water is not foolish, but is sectional."
Source: Xunzi - Treatise on Heaven: "It is not foolishness for a gentleman to sip beans and drink water, but it is filial piety."
Meaning: Eat beans and soup when you are hungry, drink water when you are thirsty. It describes a life of hardship.
Drinking water and bending the humerus yǐn shuǐ qū gōng
Origin: "Analects - Shui而"："Zi said, 'If I eat and drink water, and bend my humerus to rest on my pillow, I will be happy. Unrighteousness and wealth are like floating clouds to me.'"
Meaning: describes the life of being clear-minded and happy in poverty.
Drinking water and thinking of its source yǐn shuǐ sī yuán
Origin: Northern Zhou Dynasty - Yu Xin, "Songs of Symphony", "Those who fall from the ground think of its trees, and those who drink from its streams miss its source."
Meaning: When drinking water, one remembers where it comes from. It is a metaphor for not forgetting one's roots.
Meaning: a metaphor for being not far apart.
Yóu shān wán shuǐ (游山玩水)
出处：宋-释道原《景德传灯录》卷十九："Questions：'How is the scholar himself?' The master said: 'Go and swim in the mountains and play in the water.'"
Meaning: to visit and play with the landscape scenery.
Yú fāng shuǐ fāng
Origin: "Xunzi - The Way of the King": "The king is a disk, the disk is round and the water is round; the king is a pellet, the pellet is square and the water is square."
Meaning: Whatever the shape of the vessel that holds the water is, the water also becomes whatever shape it is. The metaphor is that the words and deeds of the person at the top influence the wind and atmosphere.
鱼大水小 yú dà shuǐ xiǎo
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for production not being enough for consumption. It is also used as a metaphor for bloated organization and poor action.
源头活水 yuán tóu huó shuǐ
Origin: 宋-朱熹《观书有感》诗："Questions about the canal which is as clear as this, it is said that there is source of living water."
Meaning: the original metaphor is that the more one reads, the clearer one's reasoning becomes. Now it also refers to the power and source of things.
Yuǎn shuǐ bù jiě jìn kě
Origin: Han Fei Zi - Say Lin Shang: "If you lose a fire and fetch water from the sea, even though there is a lot of seawater, the fire will not be extinguished, and the distant water will not be able to put out the nearby fire."
Meaning: a metaphor for a slow way to save an emergency.
Yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ
Origin: Han Fei Zi - Say Lin Shang: "If you lose a fire and take water from the sea, even though there is a lot of seawater, the fire will not be extinguished, and distant water will not put out the fire near you."
Meaning: A distant water cannot put out a nearby fire. The metaphor is that a slow solution cannot put out an urgent one.
The feeling of placing water zhì shuǐ zhī qíng
Origin: Hou Han Shu - Pang Sen Biography: "Tong did not speak with, but with a large book of scallions, a pot of water, placed in front of the household screen, and held his grandson under the household. The chief official was arrogant. Sen thought of its subtle meaning, a long time, said: 'Tong is also want to know the governor. The water, want me to clear also.'"
Meaning: the people's expectations of the officials to be fair and clean.
Bamboo Basket Beating Water zhú lán dá shuǐ
Origin: Tang Hanshan, "Poems," No. 208: "I saw the man who hid from the people, such as the basket holding the water to go away, and a breath of air will go back to the home, where is there anything in the basket?"
Meaning: It is a metaphor for wasting one's breath and laboring to no avail.
Zǒu huā liū bīng
Origin:
Meaning: a metaphor for bragging and telling big words.