天網恢恢，疏而不漏

Chinese

		natural law		negligent; sparse; thin	and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)	not; no	funnel; to leak; to let out funnel; to leak; to let out; to divulge
trad. (天網恢恢，疏而不漏)		天網恢恢	，	疏	而	不	漏
simp. (天网恢恢，疏而不漏)		天网恢恢	，	疏	而	不	漏
Literally: “The law of nature is like a giant web, although sparsely meshed, nothing could slip through.”

Etymology

From the 73^rd chapter of the Tao Te Ching:

天之道，不爭而善勝，不應而善應，不召而自來，繟然而善謀。天網恢恢，疏而不失。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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天之道，不争而善胜，不应而善应，不召而自来，𦈎然而善谋。天网恢恢，疏而不失。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE

Tiān zhī dào, bù zhēng ér shàn shèng, bù yìng ér shàn yìng, bù zhào ér zì lái, chánrán ér shàn móu. Tiānwǎnghuīhuī, shū ér bù shī. [Pinyin]

The Tao of Nature, does not contend, yet easily wins, does not speak, yet always responds, does not summon, yet all things gather, does not contemplate as if at ease, yet all plans were devised perfectly. The law of nature is like a giant web, although sparsely meshed, nothing could slip through.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tiānwǎnghuīhuī, shū'érbùlòu

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄏㄨㄟ , ㄕㄨ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): tin¹ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat¹ lau⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tiānwǎnghuīhuī, shū'érbùlòu [Phonetic: tiānwǎnghuīhuī, shū'érbúlòu]
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄟ ㄏㄨㄟ , ㄕㄨ ㄦˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄡˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tianwǎnghueihuei, shu-érbùlòu
    • Wade–Giles: tʻien¹-wang³-hui¹-hui¹, shu¹-êrh²-pu⁴-lou⁴
    • Yale: tyān-wǎng-hwēi-hwēi-, shū-ér-bù-lòu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tianwoanghueihuei, shuerlbulow
    • Palladius: тяньванхуэйхуэй, шуэрбулоу (tjanʹvanxuejxuej, šuerbulou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ wɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ xu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ ˀɤɻ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: tin¹ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat¹ lau⁶
    • Yale: tīn móhng fūi fūi, sō yìh bāt lauh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tin¹ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ ji⁴ bat⁷ lau⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: tin¹ mong⁵ fui¹ fui¹, so¹ yi⁴ bed¹ leo⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰiːn⁵⁵ mɔːŋ¹³ fuːi̯⁵⁵ fuːi̯⁵⁵ sɔː⁵⁵ jiː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²²/

Proverb

天網恢恢，疏而不漏

1. lawbreakers will always be arrested and punished

Descendants

• → Japanese: 天網恢恢疎にして漏らさず (tenmō kaikai so ni shite morasazu) (calque)
• → Vietnamese: lưới trời lồng lộng, tuy thưa mà khó thoát (calque)