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如鱼得水 (rú yú dé shuǐ) — to be in one's element; to find a perfect environment (like a fish in water)

Definition

Idiom meaning 'in one's element' — a person and their environment fit perfectly, like a fish back in water. Pairs naturally with 表现/工作 to describe someone thriving in a fitting role.

idiom
to be in one's elementto find a perfect environment (like a fish in water)

Examples

  • 如鱼得水。
    Tā jiā rù nà jiā gōng sī hòu gōng zuò qǐ lái zhēn shì rú yú dé shuǐ.
    After joining that company, he works as if he's in his element.
  • ，如鱼得水，。
    Zài zhè ge tuán duì lǐ, tā rú yú dé shuǐ, biǎo xiàn fēi cháng chū sè.
    In this team, he's like a fish in water — his performance is outstanding.
  • ，如鱼得水，。
    Huàn le xīn huán jìng hòu, tā rú yú dé shuǐ, hěn kuài jiù shì yìng le.
    After changing to a new environment, he felt like a fish in water and quickly adapted.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 魚; 鱼 is its simplified writing.

For 鱼, the traditional form 魚 is a picture of a fish.

Open 鱼 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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