Animals & Zodiac

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 shuǐ

In perfect element

Literal meaning: 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

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鱼目混珠

yú mù hùn zhū

Passing fakes as genuine

Literal meaning: 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

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缘木求鱼

yuán mù qiú yú

Using completely wrong method for a task

Literal meaning: 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

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沉鱼落雁

chén yú luò yàn

Beauty so stunning it affects natural world

Literal meaning: 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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