春江水暖鸭先知 chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. the duck is the first to know if the spring water is warm (idiom)
  2. fig. an expert in the field knows which way the wind blows

CHARACTERS

春 chūn spring; wanton
江 jiāng large river; yangzi; surname
水 shuǐ water, liquid, lotion, juice
暖 nuǎn warm, genial
鸭 yā duck; Anas species (various)
先 xiān first, former, previous
知 zhī know, perceive, comprehend