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Chinese/Dictionary entry

水能载舟，亦能覆舟

shuǐ néng zài zhōu , yì néng fù zhōudictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. water may keep the boat afloat but may also sink it (proverb) / fig. the people can support a regime or overturn it / if sth is used properly, one can benefit from it, otherwise it can do harm / things can be double-edged
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-cde7ec206057e954. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

水能載舟，亦能覆舟 水能载舟，亦能覆舟 [shui3 neng2 zai4 zhou1 , yi4 neng2 fu4 zhou1] /lit. water may keep the boat afloat but may also sink it (proverb)/fig. the people can support a regime or overturn it/if sth is used properly, one can benefit from it, otherwise it can do harm/things can be double-edged/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 水能載舟，亦能覆舟

  • 水
    shuǐ

    water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance; shoddy / (bound form) additional cost; extra income / classifier for washings of a garment

    Shuǐ

    surname Shui / Shui ethnic group

  • 能
    néng

    can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy

    Néng

    surname Neng

  • 载
    zǎi

    to record in writing / to carry (i.e. publish in a newspaper etc) / Taiwan pr. [zài] / year

    zài

    to carry / to convey / to load / to hold / to fill up / and / also / as well as / simultaneously

  • 舟
    zhōu

    boat

  • 亦
    yì

    also

  • 能
    néng

    can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy

    Néng

    surname Neng

  • 覆
    fù

    to reply to a letter / to cover / to overflow / to overturn / to capsize

  • 舟
    zhōu

    boat

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.