Shui
/ʃweɪ/noun
A Mandarin Chinese word meaning “water,” especially encountered in the English phrase feng shui.
Did you know?In feng shui, shui means water, which traditionally symbolizes wealth, flow, opportunity, and the movement of qi—not a supernatural spell.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, c. 1000 BCE
Old Chinese
水 (*s.rˤujʔ)
“Water; the liquid element and natural force”
Middle Chinese, c. 600 CE
Middle Chinese
水 (sywijX)
“Water”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin
水 (shuǐ)
“Water”
19th–20th Century
English
shui
“A transliteration of Mandarin shuǐ, usually appearing in feng shui”
Modern English
English
shui
“Water, particularly as part of the borrowed expression feng shui”