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-d76d1fe65c8c3f9c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.
Original source entry:
人往高處走，水往低處流 人往高处走，水往低处流 [ren2 wang3 gao1 chu4 zou3 , shui3 wang3 di1 chu4 liu2] /man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)/one should constantly strive to make progress/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: 人往高處走，水往低處流
Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.