十年河東，十年河西 (Proverb)

                                     

Previously I wrote an article with the title 債多不愁(zhai4 duo bu4 chou2) in May when the issue of raising America’s debt ceiling was reported on the paper. Now as it has been settled, it seems to have turned out that the whole world is worried about it. At least the financial markets have shown so.

Later China, as one of its big creditors, noted that the U.S. should quit its “addiction to borrowing.” 舉債成癮(ju3 zhai4 cheng2 yin3) Hearing this remark and remembering what I have read the other day that Goldman Sachs expects China's GDP to top America's by 2027. I thought to myself, “it really corresponds to what we often say, 十年河東，十年河西(shi2 nian2 he2 dong, shi2 nian2 he2 xi).

Twenty years ago when some Taiwanese businessmen went to China to invest, they received grand and wholehearted welcome. Chinese people embraced those investors, who created jobs and brought prosperity. These days Taiwan’s tourist business have opened their arms to the Chinese tourists, hoping their amazing consuming ability will benefit them.

This is what we call十年河東，十年河西. Here the 河, river, refers to the Yellow River, 黃河(huang2 he2), which is notorious for its shifting of path. Every time when a flood occurs and the Yellow River has a major change of its path, those who originally live on the west of the river might turn out to living on the east of it. Such a situation is extended to refer to a change of a person’s or a country’s conditions. Twenty years ago, could a businessman from Taipei have predicted how “poor” he will feel himself to be in Shanghai twenty years later?

Another similar expression is 風水輪流轉(feng shui3 lun2 lie2 zhuan3), The table has turned. I think many of you have heard of the term Feng shui風水, which literally means wind and water. Some people believe it is related to your luck. 輪流is taking turns. 轉means to turn or spin.

I’m no expert in economics or finance. But I’ve noticed Chinese or Taiwanese, compared with Americans or Westerners, are more in the habit of saving money for a rainy day. Some people say perhaps it has to do with our history. For thousands of years we’ve learned that there could be wars or natural disasters anytime. Plus the fact that our social welfare system has not been so advanced as the western countries. We’ve been taught to 量入為出(liang4 ru4 wei2 chu), to keep both ends meet, since we were young. Spend only 7 or 8 dollars if you make 10.

I read a report that in 2008, Taiwan had the top saving rate for three consecutive years. I think that’s because most of Taiwanese have the notion of 未雨綢繆(wei4 yu3 chou2 mou2). The meaning of the idiom refers to a kind of bird that will fix its nest before it starts to rain.

Some people, unfortunately, can’t make their both ends meet. They have to borrow to live. They are spending their “future” money. In that case, we’ll say they are 寅食卯糧(yin2 shi2 mao3 liang2). 寅、卯are two of the twelve Earthly Branches, 地支(di4 zhi), which is a Chinese system of reckoning time. 寅is followed by卯. If you’re eating 卯year’s food in the year of寅, you’re eating the food of your future.

I have no intention to comment on any political or economic conditions of any country, which is way beyond my knowledge. But as a person, if he has to keep borrowing to pay for his old debts, that would be what we call飲鴆止渴(yin3 zhen zhi3 ke3), drinking poison to quench your thirst. Perhaps the only solution will be 開源(kai yuan2), to find new ways to earn money, and 節流(jie2 liu2), to save money.

十年河東，十年河西=十年河东，十年河西

債多不愁=债多不愁

風水輪流轉=风水轮流转

量入為出=量入为出

未雨綢繆=未雨绸缪

寅食卯糧=寅食卯粮

飲鴆止渴=饮鸩止渴

開源節流=开源节流