樹欲靜而風不止
简 树欲静而风不止 · 繁 樹欲靜而風不止Meanings
- lit. the trees long for peace but the wind will never cease (idiom)
- fig. the world changes, whether you want it or not
Characters in this entry
- 樹
- shù · tree; plant; set up, establish
- 欲
- yù · desire, want, long for; intend
- 靜
- Look up this written character
- 而
- ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
- 風
- fēng · wind; air; manners, atmosphere; Kangxi radical 182
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 止
- zhǐ · stop, halt, desist; detain
- 树
- shù · tree; plant; set up, establish
- 静
- jìng · quiet, still, motionless; gentle
- 风
- fēng · wind; air; manners, atmosphere
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–4–4–2–1–4–3 · shu4 yu4 jing4 er2 feng1 bu4 zhi3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
樹欲靜而風不止 · find source passages ↗ · 树欲静而风不止 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
syu6 juk6 zing6 ji4 fung1 bat1 zi2
Cantonese word readings for 樹欲靜而風不止. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- The objective laws often go counter to man's desires.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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