Zài zhèyàng de shìchǎng lǐ, nì shuǐ xíng zhōu cáinéng bǎozhù dìwèi.
In a market like this, only by pushing against the current can you hold your position.
Tips
usage
Almost always paired with the second half: 不进则退 (bú jìn zé tuì, 'if you don't advance, you fall back'). The full eight-character phrase is one of the most quoted lines in Chinese motivational writing.
memory
Picture rowing upstream: stop pulling the oars and the current carries you backward. Standing still isn't an option — that's the whole moral.
