Proverb 12: 牛不饮水，不能按牛头低 (1/1)

Sound PRO with PROverbs! Chinese proverbs (諺語, yànyŭ) are famous sayings taken from literature, history, and famous people like philosophers.There are hundreds of Chinese proverbs addressing all aspects of life from education and work to personal goals and relationships.  牛不饮水，不能按牛头低 [niú bù yǐn shuǐ, bù néng àn niú tóu dī]You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

Lit: You cannot push a cow's head down unless it is drinking water by it's own will.

Meaning If someone doesn't want to do the task at its' own will, no matter how hard you persuade, he/she will not do it. If you tried forcing him/her, he will retaliate.

Application

Used on obstinate/stubborn people. Published: 27.02.2013, 8:16pm