常在河边走，哪有不湿鞋 in English chang2 zai4 he2 bian1 zou3 , na3 you3 bu4 shi1 xie2 Meaning

Meanings

  • a person who regularly walks by the river cannot avoid getting their shoes wet (proverb)
  • (metaphorically) it comes with the territory (for example: a person with the power to grant favors will inevitably succumb to temptation and take a bribe)

Simplified Characters

常 在 河 边 走 ， 哪 有 不 湿 鞋

Traditional Characters

常 在 河 邊 走 ， 哪 有 不 濕 鞋

Pinyin

chang2 zai4 he2 bian1 zou3 , na3 you3 bu4 shi1 xie2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

常chang2surname Chang 在zai4(located) at 河he2river 边bian1side 走zou3to walk ， 哪na3how 有you3to have 不bu4(negative prefix) 湿shi1variant of 濕|湿[shi1] 鞋xie2shoe