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

HSK 4

春江水暖鸭先知，做生意的人最先感受到经济的变化。

Chūnjiāngshuǐnuǎnyāxiānzhī, zuòshēngyi de rén zuìxiān gǎnshòu dào jīngjì de biànhuà.

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

HSK 7-9

春江水暖鸭先知，一线教师最清楚学生的真实水平。

Chūnjiāngshuǐnuǎnyāxiānzhī, yīxiàn jiàoshī zuì qīngchu xuésheng 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