📖 Meaning
Literally refers to waves flowing eastward into the vast sea, never to return. Metaphorically describes a situation where the overall trend has turned decisively against one, and no effort can reverse or salvage it. It conveys a sense of finality and helplessness in the face of irreversible decline.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming Dynasty work 'Zhuozhong Zhi' (《酌中志》) by Liu Ruoyu (刘若愚), specifically in the section 'Inner Court Offices and Duties' (《内府衙门职掌》). Liu Ruoyu served as a eunuch in the Ming imperial court and documented the inner workings of the palace. In this passage, he laments that even those with sincere loyalty to the country and personal integrity would find themselves powerless to effect change alone — like waves flowing eastward into the sea, there is nothing one can do about it. The phrase captures the author's despair at the irreversible decline of the Ming court's internal governance.
💡 Example Usage
他深知东海逝波，大势已去，再难挽回。
He knew well that, like waves flowing eastward into the sea, the tide had turned and nothing could be salvaged.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 东海逝波
- Pinyin: dōng hǎi shì bō
- Literal Translation: east, sea, passing, waves
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4