盂方水方
yú​fāng​shuǐ​fāng

the water takes the shape of its container

  • created sense approved 盂方水方 · yú​fāng​shuǐ​fāng · the water takes the shape of its container — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    盂方水方

    yú​fāng​shuǐ​fāng

    the water takes the shape of its container

    Used to describe how the behavior of subordinates or citizens is shaped by the conduct and example of their leaders; literally "if the basin is square, the water in it will also be square".

    盂 (literal) → 盂 · yú · basin 方 (literal) → 方 · fāng · square 水 (literal) → 水 · shuǐ · water 方 (literal) → 方 · fāng · square

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense