船到橋頭自然直。

[Countersign]

Hello and howdy,

Recently, I am a bit perplexed by this saying and would like to seek help as to how to punctuate this sentence correctly. Thanks for your comments in advance!

船到橋頭自然直。

Does it mean - (1)船到橋，頭自然直? - if so, 頭 must refer to 船頭? then it means 船頭到橋自然直。(A transferred epithet?)

Or, (2)船，到橋頭，自然直? - if so, what is 橋頭? The middle of the bridge? or the ends of the bridge?

Whose 頭 is it?

[Glenn]

As far as the meaning goes, it appears to be a set phrase.

http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=1&wdqtm=2&wdqcham=1&wdqt=%E8%88%B9%E5%88%B0%E6%A9%8B%E9%A0%AD%E8%87%AA%E7%84%B6%E7%9B%B4%E3%80%82

I don't know how to break it down, though. I'm assuming 頭 goes with 橋, so 船到橋頭、自然直。

[Countersign]

Thanks for your link.

"I'm assuming 頭 goes with 橋, so 船到橋頭、自然直。"

Then I wonder where is 橋頭? I suppose that the boat is crossing under the bridge (referring to some kind of obstacle), and it will go straightly instead of swerving from side to side? Unless the boat is arriving at the end of the bridge(橋頭), ready for landing? I mean 橋頭 is not 碼頭，right? Why not 船到碼頭自然直?

What kind of playing on word is this? The analogy/metaphor or figure of speech in 船到橋頭自然直 is quite a mix-up. It is very hard to explain it to a foreigner, IMHO, either logically or poetically.

[anonymoose]

Take a look at this.

[Guoke]

It's 船到(橋頭)自然直.

橋頭 is either end of a bridge.

[ma3zi1]

According the 百度百科 link that annoymoose posted, it appears to have a meaning that is similar to English phrase:

"we'll cross that bridge when we get there"

This is pretty consistent with their explanation of the phrase as well

『事先不用着急，到时候问题总可以解决』

"don't be worried ahead of time, when the time comes the problem can be resolved"

Their alternative version of the phrase would perhaps make more sense (from the point of view of the boat anyway): 『船到桥门自然直』

Apparently, this phrase also comes in a couplet:

『車到山前必有路，船到橋頭自然直』