沧浪之水浊兮

滄浪之水濁兮

cānglángzhīshuǐzhuóxī

phrase

Meanings

1 oh, the Canglang's water is muddy
2 (fig.) when the times are corrupt, wash your feet in them — don't waste your purity
3 (lit.) Canglang's water muddy (oh!)

Characters

沧

cāng

blue-green / dark sea color

浪

láng

wave (沧浪 = Canglang River / blue waters)

之

zhī

's (classical possessive)

oh! (Chu-dialect exclamatory)

Examples

渔父吟沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足。

Yúfù yín cānglàng zhī shuǐ zhuó xī, kěyǐ zhuó wǒ zú.

The Fisherman sang, 'Canglang's water is muddy — it can wash my feet.'

身处乱世，与其洁身自好，不如学沧浪之水浊兮，随波而不染。

Shēn chǔ luàn shì, yǔqí jiéshēn zìhào, bùrú xué cānglàng zhī shuǐ zhuó xī, suí bō ér bù rǎn.

In turbulent times, instead of merely keeping pure, one might learn 'Canglang's water is muddy' — flow with it yet stay unstained.

Tips

history

From 《楚辞·渔父》(Chu Ci, The Fisherman, ca. 3rd c. BCE). After Qu Yuan declares 举世皆浊我独清, the fisherman smiles, beats his oar, and sings as he rows away: 沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足 (When Canglang's water is clear, I wash my hatstrings; when it is muddy, I wash my feet). The fisherman's Daoist rebuttal to Qu Yuan's rigid purity — adapt to the times rather than break against them.

usage

Always paired with 沧浪之水清兮. The 兮 (xī) is a Chu-dialect exclamatory particle, equivalent to 'oh!' — typical of 楚辞 prosody. 沧浪 is either a river in Hubei or a generic 'blue-green waters.' Mencius also quotes this pair (《孟子·离娄上》).

Stroke Order

沧 cāng

浪 làng

之 zhī

水 shuǐ

浊 zhuó

兮 xī