水到渠成
水到渠成 (shuǐ dào qú chéng) literally means “water comes channel forms” and expresses “success comes naturally”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving success and perseverance.
Also searched as: shui dao qu cheng, shui dao qu cheng,水到渠成 meaning, 水到渠成 in english
Success comes naturally
Pronunciation: shuǐ dào qú chéng Literal meaning: Water comes channel forms
Origin & Usage
Su Shi wrote it to a friend who was worrying ahead of events: when the water arrives (水到) the channel forms (渠成), there is no need to plan for it in advance. The image is of water finding its own course rather than an engineer cutting one. What the phrase claims is not that effort is unnecessary but that the last step arrives by itself once the earlier ones are done, so anxiety about it is wasted. It is the standard Chinese reassurance to someone rushing a result.
Examples
English: "Once the market was ready, their product gained popularity effortlessly"
Chinese: 一旦市场成熟，他们的产品自然获得了欢迎
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about success & perseverance
如鱼得水
rú yú dé shuǐ
In perfect element
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滴水不漏
dī shuǐ bù lòu
Absolutely flawless and thorough
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集腋成裘
jí yè chéng qiú
Small efforts make big results
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铁杵成针
tiě chǔ chéng zhēn
Success through persistence
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聚沙成塔
jù shā chéng tǎ
Small things build achievement
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玉汝于成
yù rǔ yú chéng
Adversity is what finishes you
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一气呵成
yī qì hē chéng
Finished without a break in it
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近水楼台
jìn shuǐ lóu tái
Advantage from close connections
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 水到渠成 mean in English?
水到渠成 (shuǐ dào qú chéng) literally translates to “Water comes channel forms” and is used to express “Success comes naturally”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Success & Perseverance category.
When is 水到渠成 used?
Situation: Once the market was ready, their product gained popularity effortlessly
What is the pinyin for 水到渠成?
The pinyin pronunciation for 水到渠成 is “shuǐ dào qú chéng”.
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