📖 Meaning
A metaphor for adapting one's actions based on the prevailing situation or following others' cues. It describes someone who shrewdly shifts their stance or behavior depending on which way the wind blows, often with a connotation of opportunism.
📜 Origin Story
From Chapter 41 of Li Baojia's Qing Dynasty novel "Officialdom Unmasked" (《官场现形记》). The character He Tuiren is described as having a special talent for "seeing the wind and steering the boat," meaning he was adept at reading the room and acting according to others' expressions and moods. The idiom is a variant of the more common "见风使舵," a nautical metaphor for trimming one's sails to the prevailing wind, applied to human social behavior.
💡 Example Usage
他在公司里见风使船，从不轻易得罪人。
He always trims his sails to the wind at the company, never carelessly offending anyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 见风使船
- Pinyin: jiàn fēng shǐ chuán
- Literal Translation: see, wind, steer, boat
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4