顺水推舟 shùnshuǐ tuīzhōu Go with the flow

Explanation

比喻顺着某个趋势或某种方便说话办事。

It is a metaphor that refers to doing something according to a trend or convenience.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个风景如画的小村庄里，住着一位名叫阿福的年轻渔夫。阿福以捕鱼为生，他勤劳善良，深受村民的喜爱。有一天，阿福驾着小船出海捕鱼，天气晴朗，微风轻拂，水面平静如镜。阿福划着船，哼着小曲，心情十分舒畅。突然，他发现前方有一大片水草，水草漂浮在水面上，像一条绿色的河流，阻碍了船的航行。面对这突如其来的阻碍，阿福并没有选择硬闯，而是顺水推舟，轻轻地绕过了这片水草。绕过水草后，阿福继续前行，他看到前面有一群鱼儿在嬉戏，于是他迅速撒下渔网，很快就捕获了一大批鱼儿。傍晚时分，阿福满载而归，回到村庄，村民们都向他表示祝贺。阿福的故事在村庄里广为流传，人们用它来比喻做事情要善于把握时机，顺着形势发展，才能取得成功。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè fēngjǐng rú huà de xiǎocūn zhuāng lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào ā fú de nián qīng yúfū. ā fú yǐ bǔ yú wéi shēng, tā qínláo shànliáng, shēn shòu cūn mín de xǐ'ài. yǒu yī tiān, ā fú jià zhe xiǎo chuán chū hǎi bǔ yú, tiānqì qínglǎng, wēi fēng qīng fú, shuǐ miàn píngjìng rú jìng. ā fú huá zhe chuán, hēng zhe xiǎo qū, xīnqíng shífēn shūchàng. tūrán, tā fāxiàn qiánfāng yǒu yī dà piàn shuǐcǎo, shuǐcǎo piáofú zài shuǐ miàn shàng, xiàng yī tiáo lǜsè de héliú, zǔ'ài le chuán de hángxíng. miàn duì zhè tūrú'ér lái de zǔ'ài, ā fú bìng méiyǒu xuǎnzé yìng chuàng, ér shì shùnshuǐ tuīzhōu, qīngqīng de rào guò le zhè piàn shuǐcǎo. rào guò shuǐcǎo hòu, ā fú jìxù qiánxíng, tā kàn dào qiánmiàn yǒu yī qún yú'ér zài xīsī, yúshì tā sùsù sǎ xià yú wǎng, jiù kuài jiù bǔ huò le yī dà pī yú'ér. bàngwǎn shí fēn, ā fú mǎn zài ér guī, huí dào cūn zhuāng, cūn mín men dōu xiàng tā biǎoshì zhùhè. ā fú de gùshì zài cūn zhuāng lǐ guǎng wéi liúchuán, rénmen yòng tā lái bǐyù zuò shìqíng yào shàn yú bǎwò shíjī, shùnzhe xíngshì fāzhǎn, cáinéng qǔdé chénggōng.

Long ago, in a picturesque village, lived a young fisherman named A Fu. A Fu made his living by fishing, and he was diligent and kind, deeply loved by the villagers. One day, A Fu took his boat out to sea to fish; the weather was fine, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the water's surface was calm as a mirror. A Fu paddled his boat, humming a tune, his mood very pleasant. Suddenly, he found a large area of seaweed ahead; the seaweed floated on the surface of the water like a green river, obstructing the boat's passage. Faced with this sudden obstacle, A Fu did not choose to force his way through it but instead went with the flow and gently bypassed the seaweed. After bypassing the seaweed, A Fu continued on his way; he saw a group of fish playing ahead and quickly cast his net; soon, he caught a large number of fish. In the evening, A Fu returned to the village with a full load, and the villagers all congratulated him. A Fu's story became widely known in the village; people used it to illustrate that when doing things, one must be clever enough to seize the opportunity and go with the flow to achieve success.

Usage

常用来形容办事要灵活，要善于利用客观条件，乘势而为。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng bànshì yào línghuó, yào shàn yú lìyòng kèguān tiáojiàn, chéngshì ér wéi

It is often used to describe the flexibility and ability to make the best use of objective conditions and seize the opportunity.

Examples

• 面对困难，我们应该顺水推舟，积极寻求解决方法。

  miàn duì kùnnan, wǒmen yīnggāi shùnshuǐ tuīzhōu, jījí xúnqiú jiějué fāngfǎ.

  Faced with difficulties, we should make the best of the situation and actively seek solutions.

• 这次合作非常顺利，我们顺水推舟，达成了共识。

  zhè cì hézuò fēicháng shùnlì, wǒmen shùnshuǐ tuīzhōu, dá chéng le gòngshì

  This cooperation went very smoothly, and we reached a consensus.

Related Idioms

• 因势利导

• 趁风使舵

• 顺水推船

Opposite Idioms

• 横生枝节

• 节外生枝