水至清则无鱼

水至清則無魚

shuǐzhìqīngzéwúyú

idiom

Meanings

1 if water is too clear, no fish can live in it
2 one who is too strict has no followers
3 don't demand perfection or you'll end up alone

Characters

extremely / most

Examples

水至清则无鱼，管理员工不能太苛刻。

Shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú, guǎnlǐ yuángōng bù néng tài kēkè.

If water is too clear, no fish — you can't be too harsh in managing employees.

他对下属要求过高，正是水至清则无鱼。

Tā duì xiàshǔ yāoqiú guò gāo, zhèng shì shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú.

His demands on his subordinates are too high — exactly the problem of 'water too clear, no fish.'

Tips

history

From 《汉书·东方朔传》 (Book of Han): 水至清则无鱼，人至察则无徒 — 'Water too clear has no fish; a person too scrutinizing has no companions.' Dongfang Shuo, famous Han-dynasty court wit, used the image to counsel the emperor against excessive moral demands on subordinates.

usage

Often completed with 人至察则无徒 (a person too scrutinizing has no companions) — the full couplet is the classical version; the first half alone is most common in casual use.

Stroke Order

水 shuǐ

至 zhì

清 qīng

则 zé

无 wú

鱼 yú