{"id":10026,"date":"2019-11-17T14:06:04","date_gmt":"2019-11-17T14:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-culture\/cross-the-river-by-feeling-the-stones-mo-zhe-shi-tou-guo-he\/"},"modified":"2019-11-17T14:06:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T14:06:04","slug":"cross-the-river-by-feeling-the-stones-mo-zhe-shi-tou-guo-he","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/th\/cross-the-river-by-feeling-the-stones-mo-zhe-shi-tou-guo-he\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross the river by feeling the stones. \u6478\u7740\u77f3\u5934\u8fc7\u6cb3"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cross the river by feeling the stones.
\u6478\u7740\u77f3\u5934\u8fc7\u6cb3\u3002<\/p>\n

M\u014dzhe shítou guòhé.<\/p>\n

— \u6478 m\u014d, touch
— \u77f3\u5934 shítou, stone
— \u8fc7 guò, cross
— \u6cb3 hé, river<\/p>\n

The new popular ex<\/em>pression “Cross a river by feeling the stones” originally refers to the pragmatic policy of Deng Xiaoping, to move ahead with eco<\/em>nomic reforms slowly and pragmatically. You can learn to use such new ex<\/em>pression in your daily Chinese  conversation. If you want to express your experience for the first-time trial, you can say like that –<\/p>\n

Well, I didn’t know whether we would succeed or not when I was first trying. I just crossed the river by feeling the sto<\/em>nes too ( \u6211\u4e5f\u662f\u6478\u7740\u77f3\u5934\u8fc7\u6cb3 W\u01d2 y\u011bshì m\u014dzhe shítou guòhé) .<\/p>\n

Co<\/em>nfucian society defines success on a singular pattern. The route to success is under a “no pain, no gain” belief, like working out, like going to the gym, like diet. I’m going to go to pain, but I know I will get muscles and I will lose weight. It is certain – if I suffer, if I command, I can win. Capitalism, on the other hand, is ba<\/em>sed on the individual. He shapes his own definition. Success route is ba<\/em>sed on high risk, high return, just like what you’re learning from efficient capital market. But it is uncertain. It is not certain.<\/p>\n

To get rich is glorious, that is the ideal, but how can I get there? DENG Xiaoping said crossing the river by feeling the stones. “\u6478\u7740\u77f3\u5934\u8fc7\u6cb3(m\u014dzhe shítou guòhé)\u3002” Not so certain, is it? Crossing the river by feeling the sto<\/em>nes – it’s a trying period, it’s risk-taking, it’s a maze. ChineseHour has the story in detail.<\/p>\n

The Chinese leadership remains fairly co<\/em>nservative in their “liberalization” or “reform” efforts. “Crossing the river by feeling the stones” became China’s mode of eco<\/em>nomic reform, it means implementing partial reforms in an experimental manner, often in a few regions, and expanding them upon proven success.<\/p>\n

There were several reasons for this approach. First, gradualism was a means to circumvent political resistance against reforms. Second, gradual, experimental reform was a pragmatic approach in a heavily distorted enviro<\/em>nment in which ‘first best’ solutions were unlikely to apply. Experimental reforms, co<\/em>nfined to specific regions or sectors, allowed the authorities to gather information on effects that could not be analysed in advance. They were also necessary to develop and test the administrative procedures and complementary policies needed to implement the reforms. With proven success the experiment could be expanded to other regions and sectors. Third, experimental reform may have suited the Chinese culture well as a means to avoid ‘loss of face’: if an experiment did not work, it could be abando<\/em>ned as an experiment, rather than co<\/em>nsidered a policy failure.
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