How to Read “Human nature is like rushing water”
sei wa nao tansui no gotoshi
Meaning of “Human nature is like rushing water”
This proverb means that human nature changes easily like a raging current. It is extremely difficult to control.
The human heart and character possess a powerful force. Reason and willpower alone cannot fully control them.
This saying is used when emotions or desires burst beyond reason. It describes situations where true nature emerges despite attempts at self-control.
People also use it when discussing the difficulty of educating or guiding others.
The expression uses water flow as a natural phenomenon everyone understands. This makes the abstract concept of “human nature” concrete and vivid.
Rushing water is unpredictable and powerful. Once it starts flowing, it cannot be stopped.
This metaphor clearly conveys how difficult it is to control the human inner self. Even today, this deep insight effectively expresses the challenges of self-management and the complexity of understanding people.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is influenced by ancient Chinese philosophy, especially Confucian teachings. “Sei” refers to human nature or innate character.
“Tansui” means violently flowing rapids.
Confucianism has long debated how to view human nature. Mencius taught that human nature is originally good.
Xunzi argued that human nature is evil and must be corrected through education. This proverb takes a different perspective from those debates.
It focuses on the “difficulty of controlling” human nature itself.
The choice of the word “tansui” carries deep meaning. The proverb deliberately chose raging rapids instead of calm water.
This expresses the intensity of human emotions, their unpredictability, and how difficult they are to stop once they start flowing.
Water changes shape, detours around obstacles, and sometimes possesses destructive power. This metaphor suggests that human nature also has strong forces that cannot be completely controlled by reason or morality.
After reaching Japan, this saying continued as a profound insight into human understanding.
Usage Examples
- He vowed to reform many times, but human nature is like rushing water, and he repeated the same mistakes again
- Working in children’s education taught me that human nature is like rushing water—how difficult it is to change one’s true nature
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down for hundreds of years. It survives because it strikes at a painful truth about human nature.
We pride ourselves on being rational beings. Yet we are also creatures tossed about by the raging currents of emotion and desire.
People often resolve “this time I’ll change.” They try to break bad habits, suppress anger, and control desires.
But no matter how strong their willpower, true nature shows itself in unexpected moments. This is not weakness but a fundamental quality of human existence.
This insight teaches us deep understanding and tolerance toward people. When others repeat mistakes, we often criticize them: “Why don’t they learn?”
But true nature is like rushing water. It cannot easily change direction.
At the same time, we don’t need to be excessively harsh with ourselves.
Ancient thinkers did not idealize humans as perfect beings. They acknowledged our difficult-to-control nature, yet still taught the value of morality and education.
Rather than seeking perfection, they guided people gradually in better directions while accepting imperfection. This is a realistic and warm way of viewing humanity.
When AI Hears This
When water flows slowly from a faucet, it appears transparent and orderly. This is laminar flow.
But when you open the faucet fully, the water turns white and turbulent, swirling into chaotic turbulent flow. The Reynolds number determines this change.
When it exceeds about 2300, the flow suddenly becomes turbulent. The moment flow speed and environmental conditions cross a critical point, water behaves completely differently.
This proverb comparing human nature to rushing water captures exactly this phase transition phenomenon. Human character is not fixed as good or evil.
It exists in a critical state that can become either orderly or chaotic depending on the environment, like the shape of a channel.
For example, the same person behaves calmly like laminar flow in a stable environment. But when stress or temptation increases flow speed beyond the critical value, they shift into an unpredictable turbulent state.
What’s interesting is that the transition to turbulence is discontinuous, not continuous. It doesn’t gradually worsen but suddenly changes at a certain moment.
This is why education and culture as channel design become important. By lowering the Reynolds number—adjusting environmental conditions—the same water can maintain laminar flow.
The theory of innate goodness and the theory of innate evil might simply be observations of the same fluid under different conditions.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people realistic understanding and tolerance toward ourselves and others. The self-help world overflows with messages that “willpower can change anything.”
But this sometimes makes us suffer. We blame ourselves for not changing and feel disappointed when others don’t change.
However, if we understand that true nature is like rushing water, our approach changes. You cannot instantly stop rushing water, but you can gradually redirect its flow.
Accept that changing habits takes time. Accumulate small progress. This is the realistic path to self-improvement.
This wisdom also helps in human relationships. When troubled by the “difficult personalities” of family or colleagues, don’t try to completely change them.
Instead, understand their nature and adjust how you interact with them. Imagine building a levee to contain their rushing water.
Your own nature and others’ natures do not change easily. But this is not cause for despair—it’s the starting point for understanding people.
Don’t seek perfection. Move gradually in better directions. That humility and patience is the life wisdom this proverb teaches.
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