每天成语
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细水长流

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: xì shuǐ cháng liú
  • English Translation: A thin stream flows far (steady and long-lasting)
  • Idiom Composition: 「细」（Thin, fine, or small in quantity.）＋「水」（Water or a stream.）＋「长」（Long, referring to both time and distance.）＋「流」（To flow.）
  • Meaning: Literally describing a thin stream of water that flows continuously without stopping, this idiom refers to doing things steadily and persistently over a long period. It also describes managing resources or finances frugally and planfully so they last a long time. In modern contexts, it is frequently used to describe a quiet, stable, and enduring relationship.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「细水长流」 contains the following nuances:

  • Economic Sustainability: Originally, the idiom carried a strong connotation of frugality—saving little by little to ensure that resources are not exhausted quickly. It is a staple of traditional Chinese household wisdom.
  • Steady Persistence: It serves as a positive evaluation of a person's character, praising those who work at a sustainable pace rather than seeking short-term, explosive success.
  • Quiet and Stable Relationships: In modern usage, it is the ideal for many couples who prefer a peaceful, reliable partnership over the volatility of 'passionate' love.

3. Usage

「细水长流」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Financial Management & Life Planning: Used to advise someone to spend money planfully and avoid waste to ensure long-term security.
    • Example:「过日子要懂得细水长流，不能发了工资几天就花光。」
      （In daily life, one should know how to budget carefully for the long term and not spend the entire salary within a few days of receiving it.)
  • Learning and Work Habits: Used to encourage steady, daily progress rather than trying to achieve everything at once and burning out.
    • Example:「学习外语不能急于求成，要细水长流，每天坚持积累。」
      （Learning a foreign language shouldn't be rushed for quick results; it requires steady, daily accumulation.)
  • Relationships (Romance & Friendship): A romantic and calm expression describing a relationship that is not necessarily intense or dramatic but is stable and enduring.
    • Example:「比起轰轰烈烈的爱情，我更向往细水长流的陪伴。」
      （Rather than a dramatic and intense romance, I long for a quiet and enduring companionship.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 做生意讲究细水长流，不能只看眼前的利益。
    （When it comes to business, long-term sustainability is key; you shouldn't just look at short-term profits.）
  2. 虽然每天只跑两公里，但细水长流，一年下来身体好了很多。
    （Although I only run two kilometers a day, steady persistence pays off, and after a year, my health has improved significantly.）
  3. 资源是有限的，我们必须细水长流地使用。
    （Resources are limited, so we must use them sparingly to make them last.）
  4. 真正的友谊是细水长流，不需要每天联系，但心里总有对方。
    （True friendship is steady and long-lasting; you don't need to contact each other every day, but you always hold them in your heart.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The idiom is said to be derived from the Sutra of Bequeathed Teaching (遗教经), which was cited in the Qing Dynasty work Common Sayings (通俗编) by Zhai Hao (翟灏). The original Buddhist text used the metaphor of a small stream flowing long enough to eventually wear through stone.
  • While the English proverb 'dripping water wears away stone' focuses on the final achievement (breaking the stone), the Chinese idiom 细水长流 (xì shuǐ cháng liú) focuses more on the 'long flow' itself—the virtue of the process and the sustainability of the effort.
  • In Chinese culture, steady and modest prosperity is often considered a greater 'blessing' (福 - fú) than sudden, flashy wealth, which is seen as precarious.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

细水长流 (xì shuǐ cháng liú) is a positive and grounded idiom that emphasizes the power of consistency over intensity. Whether applied to financial planning, the habit of learning, or the development of a romantic relationship, it suggests that a modest but constant effort is superior to a flash of brilliance that quickly fades.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 2

Idiom Essay

xì shuǐ cháng liú
细水长流
Steady Streams Flow Far
wǒ men我们cháng cháng常常yǐ wéi以为，hǎo好de的dōng xī东西，yí dìng一定yào要hěn很qiáng liè强烈。

We often think that good things must be intense.

bǐ rú比如hōng hōng liè liè轰轰烈烈de的ài qíng爱情，huò zhě或者yī yè chéng míng一夜成名de的chéng gōng成功。

Like a passionate love affair or overnight success.

hǎo xiàng好像zhǐ yǒu只有nà yàng那样，cái才suàn算zhēn zhèng真正huó活guò过。

It feels as if only then have we truly lived.

dàn shì但是，jī qíng激情zǒng shì总是hěn很nán难wéi chí维持de的。

However, passion is always difficult to sustain.

dāng当yān huā烟花fàng放wán完le了，shèng xià剩下de的rì zi日子gāi该zěn me怎么guò过ne呢？

When the fireworks are over, how should we live the remaining days?

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常yōu měi优美de的chéng yǔ成语，tí gōng提供le了yī zhǒng一种wán quán完全bù tóng不同de的shēng huó生活zhé xué哲学，jiào叫“xì shuǐ cháng liú细水长流”。

In Chinese, there is a very beautiful idiom that offers a completely different philosophy of life, called 细水长流.

zhè ge这个huà miàn画面de的yì si意思hěn很zhí guān直观。

The imagery of this expression is very intuitive.

“xì shuǐ细水”，shì是yī gǔ一股xì xì细细de的shuǐ liú水流。

细水 refers to a thin, small stream of water.

tā它bù不xiàng像hóng shuǐ洪水nà yàng那样xiōng yǒng汹涌，yě也méi yǒu没有pù bù瀑布nà me那么zhuàng guān壮观。

It is not as turbulent as a flood, nor as spectacular as a waterfall.

dàn shì但是，zhèng正yīn wèi因为tā它xì xiǎo细小，bù不jí zào急躁，tā它cái才bú huì不会hěn很kuài快gān hé干涸；yě也zhèng正yīn wèi因为tā它ān jìng安静，cái néng才能“cháng liú长流”，yì zhí一直liú xiàng流向hěn很yuǎn远de的dì fāng地方。

But precisely because it is small and not impetuous, it will not dry up quickly; and because it is quiet, it can 长流, flowing continuously to a very distant place.

zài在guò qù过去，rén men人们cháng yòng常用zhè ge这个cí词lái来xíng róng形容guò rì zi过日子：qián钱bú yào不要yī cì一次huā guāng花光，yào要yǒu有jì huà计划dì地shǐ yòng使用，cái néng才能bǎo zhèng保证shēng huó生活yì zhí一直ān wěn安稳。

In the past, people often used this term to describe daily life: do not spend all your money at once, but use it according to a plan to ensure a stable life.

dàn但zài在jīn tiān今天，wǒ men我们gèng更duō多shí hòu时候shì是yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容rén人yǔ与rén人zhī jiān之间de的gǎn qíng感情。

But today, we use it more often to describe the feelings between people.

nián qīng年轻de的shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们kě néng可能xǐ huān喜欢nà zhǒng那种rè liè热烈de的、fēn bù kāi分不开de的ài爱。

When we are young, we might like that intense, inseparable love.

kě shì可是hòu lái后来nǐ你huì会fā xiàn发现，zhēn zhèng真正shū fú舒服de的guān xì关系，wǎng wǎng往往shì是“xì shuǐ cháng liú细水长流”de的。

But later you will find that truly comfortable relationships are often 细水长流.

bù不xū yào需要měi tiān每天dōu都yǒu有jīng xǐ惊喜，yě也bù不xū yào需要shí kè时刻nián黏zài在yì qǐ一起。

There is no need for surprises every day, nor a need to be stuck together at every moment.

jiù就xiàng像liǎng两gè个lǎo péng yǒu老朋友，píng shí平时gè zì各自máng lù忙碌，dàn但nǐ你zhī dào知道tā他yì zhí一直dōu都zài在。

It is like two old friends who are usually busy with their own lives, but you know they are always there.

zhè zhǒng这种gǎn qíng感情，suī rán虽然shǎo少le了yì diǎn一点cì jī刺激，què却duō多le了yī fèn一份cháng jiǔ长久de的ān quán gǎn安全感。

This kind of emotion, though lacking a bit of excitement, adds a sense of long-term security.

suǒ yǐ所以，“xì shuǐ cháng liú细水长流”qí shí其实shì是zài在gào sù告诉wǒ men我们：bù不xū yào需要jí zhe急着zài在yī tiān一天nèi内bǎ把suǒ yǒu所有de的rè qíng热情dōu都yòng wán用完。

So, 细水长流 is actually telling us: there is no need to rush to use up all your passion in one day.

wú lùn无论shì是xué xí学习yī mén一门yǔ yán语言，hái shì还是ài爱yí gè一个rén人，zhǐ yào只要nǐ你bù不zháo jí着急，bù不tòu zhī透支zì jǐ自己，nǎ pà哪怕màn慢yì diǎn一点，fǎn ér反而néng能zǒu走dé得gèng更yuǎn远。

Whether it is learning a language or loving someone, as long as you are not in a hurry and do not overextend yourself, even if you are a bit slower, you can actually go further.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你jué de觉得bié rén别人de的sù dù速度hěn很kuài快，ér而zì jǐ自己zhǐ只xiǎng想màn màn lái慢慢来de的shí hòu时候，bù yòng不用jiāo lǜ焦虑。

Next time, when you feel others are moving fast while you just want to take it slow, do not be anxious.

nǐ你kě yǐ可以gào sù告诉zì jǐ自己：wǒ我zhè这shì是zài在xì shuǐ cháng liú细水长流。

You can tell yourself: I am practicing 细水长流.

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