宜疏不宜堵

yí shū bù yí dǔ

quotation

Meanings

1 better to channel than to dam - problems should be guided / released rather than forcibly blocked
2 literally: fitting to dredge, not fitting to block

Characters

to dredge / channel / ease

Examples

HSK 3

管理青少年上网宜疏不宜堵。

Guǎnlǐ qīngshàonián shàngwǎng yíshūbùyídǔ.

Managing teens' internet use is better done by channeling than by blocking.

HSK 7-9

群众意见宜疏不宜堵，堵得越紧反弹越大。

Qúnzhòng yìjiàn yíshūbùyídǔ, dǔ de yuè jǐn fǎntán yuè dà.

Public opinion should be channeled, not blocked - the tighter you dam it, the bigger the rebound.

Tips

history

A modern political / managerial slogan descended from the ancient 大禹治水 (Great Yu's flood-control) story in 《史记·夏本纪》 and 《孟子》. Yu's father Gun tried to dam the floods and failed; Yu succeeded by dredging channels and leading the water to the sea. The phrase compresses this lesson into five characters. Very common in contemporary policy writing - public opinion management, urban traffic, adolescent education.

usage

Structural opposite: 堵 (block) vs. 疏 (dredge / channel / ease). Often appears alongside 大禹治水 references in op-eds about governance. Register is modern-official / editorial.

Stroke Order

宜 yí

疏 shū

不 bù

堵 dǔ