水到渠成
- Literal
- the water arrives and the channel forms
- Figurative
- When the conditions are ripe, the result comes of itself: there is no need to force it or rush ahead, only to let the process run its course.
Where does 水到渠成 come from?
The phrase is documented in a letter from the Song dynasty poet Su Shi to his friend Qin Guan. Money was tight, and Su Shi describes how he handles it: he splits what little he has into monthly piles and refuses to fret about what he will do once it runs out, since he will find a way when the moment comes — "when the water arrives, the channel forms of itself; there is no need to worry about it in advance." The image is of running water carving its own bed. Hence the modern sense: what has ripened resolves itself without being pushed. He wrote the letter in exile in Huangzhou, which is where the tight finances came from.
Source (出处): 苏轼《答秦太虚书》
How is 水到渠成 used? Two examples
- 别急着催他表白，感情的事水到渠成就好。
Don't push him to confess his feelings; in love, things happen on their own when the time is right.
- 基础打好了，考试自然水到渠成。
Once you've built a solid foundation, passing the exam takes care of itself.
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