TongTong
Sign in

随大流 (suí dà liú) — to follow the crowd; to go with the tide

Definition

A colloquial set phrase meaning 'to follow the crowd / go with the tide', usually with a negative or critical tone (blind conformity, no independent judgment). Often paired with 一味 ('blindly') or used to contrast with having one's own opinion.

verb
to follow the crowdto go with the tide

Examples

  • ，随大流。
    Zài gōng zuò zhōng, hěn duō rén xuǎn zé suí dà liú ér bù tí chū zì jǐ de xiǎng fǎ.
    At work, many people choose to follow the crowd instead of proposing their own ideas.
  • 随大流，。
    Wǒ bìng bù xǐ huan suí dà liú, wǒ gèng xǐ huan yǒu zì jǐ de fēng gé.
    I don't like following the crowd; I prefer to have my own style.
  • 随大流，。
    Tā zǒng shì yí wèi suí dà liú, hěn shǎo yǒu zì jǐ de pàn duàn.
    He always blindly follows the crowd and rarely has his own judgment.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

随suífollow
大流mainstream
大dàmain流liúcurrent
偏正Modifier + head

随 means follow and 大流 means the main current, so it describes going with the crowd.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 隨; 随 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalking
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡐦
𡐦𡐦隨suí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隨 pairs 辵 (walking) with 𡐦 (the sound part); the simplified 随 is a later shorthand.

Open 随 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.