见风使舵 — “See the wind and steer the rudder”
见风使舵 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to adjust one's actions or opinions according to prevailing circumstances, often implying opportunism or a lack of firm principles; to trim one's sails to the wind; to be flexible and adaptable, sometimes to the point of being unprincipled”. Literally, “See the wind and steer the rudder”.
见风使舵 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 见jiàn
- 风fēng
- 使shǐ
- 舵duò
见风使舵 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 见风使舵
Origin and Story of 见风使舵
During the Qing Dynasty, Liu Zhongcheng, a high-ranking official from Zhejiang province, was accused by an imperial censor. The imperial court dispatched a special envoy to investigate the case.
Upon arriving in Zhejiang, the envoy adopted a strategy of 'drawing the bow but not releasing the arrow,' intending to subtly prompt Liu Zhongcheng to offer a bribe. The envoy's student, Lada, informed Governor Dao Tai that two million taels of silver would be enough to resolve the matter.
Governor Dao Tai then wrote an IOU for Lada and reported the situation to Liu Zhongcheng, who then advised him to 'trim his sails to the wind,' meaning to observe the situation and act accordingly.
Idioms Related to 见风使舵
Antonyms of 见风使舵
More idioms starting with 见
- jiàn见shì世shēng生miáo苗yield immediate results or benefits
- jiàn见yì义yǒng勇wéi为act bravely for a just cause
- jiàn见yì义dāng当wéi为act when seeing justice
- jiàn见yì义bì必wéi为act courageously for justice
- jiàn见yì义gǎn敢wéi为act courageously for a just cause
- jiàn见zhī之bù不qǔ取，，sī思zhī之qiān千lǐ里regret missing an opportunity
- jiàn见shì事shēng生fēng风stir up trouble
- jiàn见shì事fēng风shēng生act with great speed and resolution
- jiàn见rén人shuō说rén人huà话，，jiàn见guǐ鬼shuō说guǐ鬼huà话adapt speech to the listener
- jiàn见rén仁jiàn见zhì智different people have different opinions
- jiàn见tù兔fàng放yīng鹰Seize the moment and act decisively
- jiàn见tù兔gù顾quǎn犬Act promptly when a problem arises
Questions about 见风使舵
- What does 见风使舵 mean?
- 见风使舵 (jiàn fēng shǐ duò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to adjust one's actions or opinions according to prevailing circumstances, often implying opportunism or a lack of firm principles; to trim one's sails to the wind; to be flexible and adaptable, sometimes to the point of being unprincipled”.
- How do you pronounce 见风使舵?
- 见风使舵 is pronounced jiàn fēng shǐ duò in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 见风使舵 literally mean?
- Literally, 见风使舵 means “See the wind and steer the rudder”. It is used to mean “to adjust one's actions or opinions according to prevailing circumstances, often implying opportunism or a lack of firm principles; to trim one's sails to the wind; to be flexible and adaptable, sometimes to the point of being unprincipled”.
- Where does 见风使舵 come from?
- 见风使舵 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 见风使舵?
- 看风向转发动舵柄。比喻看势头或看别人的眼色行事。