{"path":"/entry/1629","title":"上善若水 (shàng shàn ruò shuǐ) — Chinese Dictionary | Flashbao","description":"上善若水 (shàng shàn ruò shuǐ): the ideal is to be like water (which benefits all living things and does not struggle against them) (quotation from the \"Book of Dao\" 道德经 Dào dé jīng). Explore meanings, example sentences and vocabulary decks.","catalog":null,"deck":null,"entry":{"reading":{"id":1629,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["上善若水"],"TRADITIONAL":["上善若水"]}},"phonetic":"shàng shàn ruò shuǐ","phoneticKey":"shang4 shan4 ruo4 shui3","meanings":{"primary":[{"qualifier":null,"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"the ideal is to be like water ","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]},{"dim":true,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"(which benefits all living things and does not struggle against them)","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]},{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":" ","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]},{"dim":true,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"(quotation from the \"Book of Dao\" ","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null},{"kind":"REF","text":null,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["道德经"],"TRADITIONAL":["道德經"]}},"phonetic":"Dào dé jīng","phoneticKey":"Dao4 de2 jing1","readingId":106700},{"kind":"TEXT","text":")","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]}],"additional":[],"notes":[],"variantMeanings":[]},"classifiers":[],"pos":["NOUN"],"frequency":null,"grammar":[],"spokenPhonetic":null},"otherReadings":[],"examples":[],"carriedReadings":[],"constructions":[],"status":null,"due":null,"reps":null,"lapses":null,"lastReview":null,"senses":[],"origins":[{"literal":null,"content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":{"simplified":"From the Tao Te Ching [circa 4th century BC].","traditional":null}}],"examples":[{"text":{"simplified":"上善若水，水善利万物而不争。","traditional":"上善若水，水善利萬物而不爭。"},"phonetic":"Shàngshànruòshuǐ, shuǐ shàn lì wànwù ér bùzhēng.","english":"The highest goodness is like water, for water is excellent in benefiting all things, and it does not strive.","ref":"Tao Te Ching, 4ᵗʰ century BCE"}],"senseScoped":false}],"decks":[{"id":27,"sourceName":"Chengyu","name":"Chengyu"}],"vocabularyScale":null,"vocabularyLevel":null}}