The River God Looks at the Sea

Sighing at the Vast Ocean

Proud of autumn floods, the River God learns humility when he beholds the boundless sea.

When the autumn floods rise, the River God rejoices, believing all beauty in the world belongs to him. He follows the current to the North Sea and sees at last its endless waters; only then does he turn to the sea god Ruo and sigh at his own narrowness. The tale supplies the phrase “sighing at the ocean” for realizing how small one’s own world has been.