水能载舟,亦能覆舟 (水能載舟,亦能覆舟)
shuǐ néng zài zhōu , yì néng fù zhōu
Pinyin
Definition
水能载舟,亦能覆舟 (水能載舟,亦能覆舟)
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- lit. water may keep the boat afloat but may also sink it (proverb)
- fig. the people can support a regime or overturn it
- if sth is used properly, one can benefit from it, otherwise it can do harm
- things can be double-edged
Character Decomposition
Related Words (20)
- 1 might (happen)
- 2 possible
- 3 probable
- 4 possibility
- 5 probability
- 6 maybe
- 7 perhaps
- 8 classifier: 个 gè
- 1 surname Shui
- 1 surname Neng
- 1 downstream
- 2 to go into the water
- 3 to put into water
- 4 to launch (a ship)
- 5 fig. to fall into bad ways
- 6 to lead astray
- 7 to go to pot
- 1 lit. isn't that a joy? (quote from Confucius)
- 2 fig. (jocularly) extremely
- 3 awfully
Idioms (20)
一不做,二不休
- 1 don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end
- 2 Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.
- 3 in for a penny, in for a pound
一人得道,鸡犬升天
- 1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
- 2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
- 3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
- 4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一个天南,一个地北
- 1 to live miles apart (idiom)
一传十,十传百
- 1 news pass quickly from mouth to mouth (idiom)
- 2 an infectious disease spreads quickly (old meaning)
一则以喜,一则以忧
- 1 happy on the one hand, but worried on the other (idiom)