谋事 (móushì): to plan matters

Meanings

1 to plan matters
2 to plot a course of action
3 to look for a job

Characters

谋

Examples

谋事在人，成事在天。

Móushì zài rén, chéngshì zài tiān.

To plan is up to humans; to bring it about is up to heaven.

他到南方谋事去了。

Tā dào nánfāng móushì qù le.

He went south to look for work.

Tips

culture

The classic pairing 谋事在人，成事在天 (móushì zài rén, chéngshì zài tiān) — 'man proposes, heaven disposes' — is one of the most quoted Chinese sayings, popularized by Zhuge Liang's lament in 《三国演义》 (Sānguó Yǎnyì, Romance of the Three Kingdoms) when his fire trap is doused by an unexpected rain.