逆水行舟，不进则退 nì shuǐ xíng zhōu ， bù jìn zé tuì

work hard nonstop or you will fall behind

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. like rowing a boat upstream, if you stop moving forward you fall back (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
逆 nì HSK 6
to go against; to oppose; opposite
水 shuǐ HSK 1
water; liquid; beverage
行 xíng HSK 3
all right; OK!; will do
舟 zhōu HSK 6
boat
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
进 jìn HSK 2
to enter; to go in; to go forward
则 zé HSK 4
then; but; rule, standard
退 tuì HSK 5
to withdraw; to retreat; to move back