📖 Meaning
To let something take its own course without interference or guidance. It describes a hands-off attitude of allowing matters to develop freely on their own, without exerting control or direction.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Huainanzi, a philosophical text compiled during the Western Han dynasty under the patronage of Prince Liu An of Huainan. In the chapter 'Cultivation of Effort' (修务训), the text argues that if rulers simply let things flow on their own and wait for them to arise naturally, the great flood-control achievements of Gun and Yu would never have been accomplished, and the agricultural wisdom of Hou Ji would have gone unused. The passage uses this idiom to caution against excessive passivity in governance.
💡 Example Usage
对孩子的教育不能听其自流，需要父母适时引导。
Children's education should not be left to drift on its own; parents need to guide them at the right times.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 听其自流
- Pinyin: tīng qí zì liú
- Literal Translation: listen, its, self, flow
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4