上善若水 in English shang4 shan4 ruo4 shui3 Meaning

Meanings

  • the ideal is to be like water (which benefits all living things and does not struggle against them) (quotation from the "Book of Dao" 道德經|道德经[Dao4 de2 jing1])

Simplified Characters

上 善 若 水

Traditional Characters

上 善 若 水

Pinyin

shang4 shan4 ruo4 shui3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

上shang4see 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] 善shan4good (virtuous) 若ruo4to seem 水shui3surname Shui