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随波逐流 (suí bō zhú liú) — to drift with the tide; to follow the crowd without independent judgment

Definition

A pejorative idiom for going along with whatever is popular, without your own judgment or principles — similar to 'go with the flow' in English, but always negative.

idiom
to drift with the tideto follow the crowd without independent judgment

Examples

  • 随波逐流，。
    Tā bù xiǎng suí bō zhú liú, suǒ yǐ jué dìng jiān chí zì jǐ de guān diǎn.
    He doesn't want to drift with the tide, so he decided to stick to his own views.
  • ，随波逐流，。
    Zài zhè ge wèn tí shàng, wǒ men bù néng suí bō zhú liú, yào yǒu zì jǐ de pàn duàn.
    On this issue, we cannot follow the crowd; we must have our own judgment.
  • 随波逐流，。
    Hěn duō rén suí bō zhú liú, dàn zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù rén gǎn yú chuàng xīn.
    Many people drift with the tide, but only a few dare to innovate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

随波follow waves
随suífollow波bōwave
动宾Verb + object
逐流chase currents
逐zhúchase流liúcurrent
动宾Verb + object

随波 and 逐流 run side by side, following waves and currents, giving the sense of drifting with the tide.

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 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí波bō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

Open 波 →

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

  • 辵辵chuòwalking
  • 豕豕shǐpig

逐 joins 辵, shown as walking, with 豕, a pig, to picture someone chasing a pig.

Open 逐 →

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
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