水土不服

shuǐ tǔ bù fú

  • Meaning

    Literal

    Not accustomed to the land or water

    Usage

    To feel as though one cannot adapt to changes in one's environment

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    她一到外地就水土不服,看来很不适于出差 | Tā yī dào wàidì jiù shuǐtǔbùfú, kàn lái hěn bùshì yú chūchāi
    She has a hard time adjusting when she goes to foreign places, so it looks like she's not suited to business trips
    [Source]

    外国人到中国旅游,可能会水土不服,最好带些常备药 | Wàiguórén dào zhōngguó lǚyóu, kěnéng huì shuǐtǔbùfú, zuì hǎo dài xiē chángbèi yào
    People taking trips to China may have a hard time acclimatizing, so they should bring along some common medicines
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    水土不伏 (shuǐ tǔ bù fú)

  • Entry Notes

    This is generally used when you're not yet adjusted to a new environment. A great time to use this is when you go to a different country and experience major culture shock.

  • Origin

    《三国志》(Sān Guó Zhì) by 陈寿 (Chén Shòu). The historical text covers the events of the end of the Eastern Hàn Dynasty (东汉, Dōng Hàn, 25 - 220) and the Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280)

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 汉语大词典[x]
    • 百度百科[x]