君子之交淡如水
Chinese
junzi; man of virtue; high-minded person junzi; man of virtue; high-minded person; noble person; superior person | 's; him/her/it; this | to deliver; to turn over; to make friends to deliver; to turn over; to make friends; to intersect (lines); to pay (money) | insipid; diluted; weak insipid; diluted; weak; light in color; tasteless; fresh; indifferent; nitrogen | as (if); such as | water; river | ||
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trad. (君子之交淡如水) | 君子 | 之 | 交 | 淡 | 如 | 水 | |
simp. #(君子之交淡如水) | 君子 | 之 | 交 | 淡 | 如 | 水 |
Etymology
From Zhuangzi:
- 且君子之交淡若水,小人之交甘若醴。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]
- From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
- Qiě jūnzǐ zhī jiāo dàn ruò shuǐ, xiǎorén zhī jiāo gān ruò lǐ. [Pinyin]
- Moreover, the intercourse of superior men is tasteless as water, while that of mean men is sweet as new wine.
Pronunciation
Proverb
君子之交淡如水
- True friendship between two men of accomplishment need not be overly demonstrative.
Antonyms
- 小人之交甘若醴
Descendants
- → Japanese: 君子の交わりは淡きこと水の如し (kunshi no majiwari wa awaki koto mizu no gotoshi) (calque)