Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

thủy khả dĩ tải châu, diệc khả dĩ phúc châu

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Water carries the boat and water capsizes it — the people bear the throne, and can turn it over.

Literally: water can bear the boat, can also overturn it

Examples

Dân như nước, thủy khả tải châu diệc khả phúc châu.The people are the water — bearing the boat, able to overturn it.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “thủy khả dĩ tải châu, diệc khả dĩ phúc châu” mean?

Water carries the boat and water capsizes it — the people bear the throne, and can turn it over. Literally: water can bear the boat, can also overturn it

Is “thủy khả dĩ tải châu, diệc khả dĩ phúc châu” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.