春江水暖鸭先知

春江水暖鴨先知

chūnjiāngshuǐnuǎnyāxiānzhī

idiom

Meanings

1 the duck is the first to know the spring river is warm
2 insiders sense changes before anyone else / those on the ground feel trends first

Characters

Examples

春江水暖鸭先知，做生意的人最先感受到经济的变化。

Chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī, zuò shēngyi de rén zuì xiān gǎnshòu dào jīngjì de biànhuà.

The duck knows first that the river is warming — business people are the first to feel economic shifts.

春江水暖鸭先知，一线教师最清楚学生的真实水平。

Chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī, yīxiàn jiàoshī zuì qīngchu xuéshēng de zhēnshí shuǐpíng.

Frontline teachers — like the duck in the spring river — see students' real level first.

Tips

history

From Su Shi's (苏轼) Song-dynasty poem 《惠崇春江晚景》, inscribed on a painting by the monk Huichong: 竹外桃花三两枝，春江水暖鸭先知 — 'Beyond the bamboo, a few sprigs of peach blossom; the spring river warms, and the duck knows first.' Today used almost exclusively as a metaphor for insiders sensing change.

usage

A favorite phrase in business journalism and leadership rhetoric ('listen to those closest to the action'). Frequently quoted in Xi Jinping's speeches on grassroots governance.

Stroke Order

春 chūn

江 jiāng

水 shuǐ

暖 nuǎn

鸭 yā

先 xiān

知 zhī