📖 Meaning
A euphemism for an unfortunate event, most often referring to a person's death. The phrase gently hints at disaster or the end of a life without stating it bluntly, often used when someone fears or prepares for the worst.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in written form in the Ming dynasty, in Feng Menglong's collection of vernacular stories Xingshi Hengyan (《醒世恒言》), volume 8, where it is used to mean 'if some misfortune should happen.' It later appears in the Qing dynasty novel Rulin Waishi (《儒林外史》), chapter 20, attributed to the author Wu Jingzi. Rather than a narrative tale, its origin lies in folk speech that borrowed the grand imagery of high mountains and low waters to soften references to death and calamity, making it a standard euphemism in classical and vernacular literature.
💡 Example Usage
老人家年事已高，若有个山高水低，我们做晚辈的定当尽力照料。
The elder is advanced in years; if anything unfortunate should befall him, we younger ones will surely do our utmost to take care of him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 山高水低
- Pinyin: shān gāo shuǐ dī
- Literal Translation: mountain high, water low
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4