Chinese Saying: "Do not seek to escape from the...

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   threekeysposted 8 years ago

   flood by clinging to a tiger's tail"...
   
   Without googling how would you understand it? What is your personal interpretation?
   
   What it makes me think of......you can only see two options. Neither options are great. Each are dangerous in that each choice can cause great loss. One may be tempted by the tiger's tail which initially looks like the better option  but it isn't. The tiger's tail avenue is really a deceptive road or journey.

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      theraggededgeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Would these posts be better placed in the topical forums?
      
      http://hubpages.com/forum/topical

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         threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Hi there raggededge. Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. Still finding my feet here so heaps of room for being corrected. Cheers!

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      manatita44posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      A flood is a flood, and will still carry you, carrying the tiger as well. It is better to go with it, to surrender. Here I'm arguing from the standpoint that the flood is adversity. painful yes, but if we let go, we can see the lessons that it carries. Just one take here, never heard this saying before.
      
      Still, it is logical to assume that the flood will take the tiger as well, so you need to think quickly and do something different.

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         threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Think quickly and do something differently...hmmm

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            manatita44posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Shivanada's three A's: Adapt; Adjust; Accommodate.

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   Paxashposted 8 years ago

   I'd have to agree with your interpretation. You're going to trade one terrible situation for a situation that seems like it might be the better option initially, but could and probably will lead to more danger.
   
   It seems very similar to the idiom "out of the frying pan and into the fire" too, where you're trading a bad situation for an even worse situation.

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      threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Now you mention it Paxash it now does sound similar to the saying "out of the frying pan into the fire"-as you mentioned.

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   NateB11posted 8 years ago

   The more you hang on to the tiger's tail, the more you'll have to fight. Then you are fighting the tiger and the flood. Chances might be better going with the current and see where it takes you.

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      threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting take....so go with the flow? Accept what is Nate?

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         NateB11posted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I wouldn't say it is necessarily a matter of acceptance; more a matter of awareness; to be aware you must be alert, not accepting or denying but looking, observing, moving with "what is".

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   peoplepower73posted 8 years ago

   Every decision has a price to pay and a trade off.  Even no decision is a decision.
   
   Sometimes to do nothing is to do everything. It is the wise man who knows the difference. (I tried to find who said this and I couldn't find anybody, so I think it was me.)

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      threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      yes even not making a decision is making a decision. Someone said to me "enduring/perservering" is waylaiding a decision that needs to be made.....

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   Rochelle Frankposted 8 years ago

   I think the interpretations are correct-- exchanging one danger for another. -, And since tigers actually like to swim it might be adding more danger without avoiding the first one.

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      threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Tigers can swim? Didn't realize that...

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         Rochelle Frankposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         On a visit to the San Diego zoo, we watched the tigers swimming in their pool for almost an hour... they seemed to enjoy it very much.

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            threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            How beautiful!

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   Shyron E Shenkoposted 8 years ago

   It is simple! It means don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire.

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      threekeysposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Quick!

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 8 years ago

   Maybe escape the flood by swimming away without hanging on to the tigers tail. Save yourself?

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