8 Abundant Chinese Idioms With Fish (鱼)
Discover Chinese idioms featuring fish (鱼), symbolizing abundance, prosperity, and good fortune.
Fish (鱼, yú) symbolizes abundance and prosperity in Chinese culture because it sounds like "surplus" (余). Fish idioms are especially popular during New Year.
如鱼得水
rú yú dé shuǐIn perfect element
Literal: Fish finds water
This idiom captures the harmony between fish (鱼) and water (水), drawing from Daoist observations of natural affinities. In ancient texts, particularly those of Zhuangzi, the fish swimming effortlessly through water epitomized the ideal state of being perfectly suited to one's environment. The metaph...
Example
The experienced teacher in her new classroom was like a fish in water
有经验的老师在新教室里如鱼得水
鱼目混珠
yú mù hùn zhūPassing fakes as genuine
Literal: Fish eyes as pearls
This deceptive idiom describes passing off fish eyes (鱼目) as pearls (珠) through deliberate mixing (混), originating from Han Dynasty market regulations. Historical records mention how unscrupulous merchants would polish fish eyeballs to resemble valuable pearls, taking advantage of superficial simila...
Example
The seller tried to deceive customers by selling fake antiques as genuine artifacts
卖家试图通过将假古董当作真品出售来欺骗顾客
缘木求鱼
yuán mù qiú yúUsing completely wrong method for a task
Literal: Climb tree seek fish
Mencius first used this vivid image of climbing trees (缘木) to catch fish (求鱼) in the 4th century BCE, criticizing approaches that ignore natural principles. The absurdity of seeking aquatic life in arboreal settings perfectly captured the futility of mismatched methods and goals. Han Dynasty politic...
Example
The company sought manufacturing efficiency by hiring more managers instead of upgrading equipment
公司试图通过雇佣更多管理人员而不是升级设备来提高制造效率
沉鱼落雁
chén yú luò yànBeauty so stunning it affects natural world
Literal: Sink fish fall geese
Han Dynasty legends tell of beauty so extraordinary it caused fish to sink (沉鱼) and flying geese to descend (落雁). The phrase combines two legendary beauties: Xi Shi, whose reflection mesmerized fish into forgetting to swim, and Wang Zhaojun, whose appearance caused migrating geese to pause mid-fligh...
Example
The legendary beauty attracted admiring glances wherever she appeared
这位传奇美人无论在哪里出现都吸引仰慕的目光
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