<p>As Stan's comment goes, 其 here simply means 'it' and refers to the subject of the sentence where the word 顺其自然 is used. E.g.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>那件事我们就顺其自然吧。</p>
<p>For that matter let's just leave <strong>it</strong> to chance.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T08:13:54.260Z
thanks for the answer, but @woding offered a more comprehensive answer so felt compelled to reward his effort. but i will have more cantonese questions; don't worry :)
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T06:27:48.197Z
2014-08-18T06:27:48.197Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
NS.X.
<p>其 is referred to 'it' as in your translation. However, 自然 here does not necessarily mean the literal meaning 'nature'. Instead, it refers to the natural tendency of any subject you're talking about. If you see a child growing as he/she prefers to be rather than pushing him/her to be, 其is the child and 自然 means 'without intervention'. If you let something develop without attempting to change its route, 其 is that thing. In old Chinese, 其 as a personal pronoun is only one of its many senses.</p>

<p>What's more, it's a Chinese idiom, not just Cantonese.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T08:13:01.293Z
cool, thanks so much! just learning canto idioms so no clue which ones translate into mandarin and which ones don't. do most canto idioms carry over into mandarin?
like how about this one: 自知之明
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T08:14:58.490Z
and yah, nature is probably not accurate. natural is probably the right translation.
Crashalot
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T09:01:50.843Z
Thanks for the reward. Although academically disputable, it still can be claimed that there is a uniform of written Chinese, which has been used for over 2000 years, regardless the dialectal varieties, which are mainly referred to spoken language. Although scholars initiated a parallel Cantonese written system in the early 20th century, catering to its unique spoken language, it is still regarded as an informal sub-written form. The idioms you're discussing are definitely not unique to Cantonese but passed down from classic literary Chinese.
woding
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T09:11:11.183Z
Therefore, the translation of these Chinese idioms into another language, for instance English, does not vary by their use in Mandarin or Cantonese or other dialects. If you use these idioms in writing, there is only one written form. If you speak them out in spoken language, I don't see any difference as well except pronunciation between different dialects. No word can be deleted from them and no word can be inserted into these idioms. 顺其自然or自知自明 would not be changed into 顺其叻自然or自知哋自明,lol.
woding
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T06:21:20.147Z
2014-08-18T06:52:43.720Z
2014-08-18T06:52:43.720Z
woding
<p>The phrase 順其自然 means trust nature to take its course in Cantonese, and every character makes sense except for 其. Can someone explain its meaning in the phrase? Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-18T06:19:25.213Z
順其自然 => 順 its 自然.
Stan
<cantonese>
Can someone explain what the 其 in 順其自然 means?
# Can someone explain what the 其 in 順其自然 means?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-08-18)

The phrase 順其自然 means trust nature to take its course in Cantonese, and every character makes sense except for 其. Can someone explain its meaning in the phrase? Thanks!

**Tags:** cantonese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 順其自然 => 順 its 自然.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-08-18. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

其 is referred to 'it' as in your translation. However, 自然 here does not necessarily mean the literal meaning 'nature'. Instead, it refers to the natural tendency of any subject you're talking about. If you see a child growing as he/she prefers to be rather than pushing him/her to be, 其is the child and 自然 means 'without intervention'. If you let something develop without attempting to change its route, 其 is that thing. In old Chinese, 其 as a personal pronoun is only one of its many senses.

What's more, it's a Chinese idiom, not just Cantonese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: cool, thanks so much! just learning canto idioms so no clue which ones translate into mandarin and which ones don't. do most canto idioms carry over into mandarin? like how about this one: 自知之明  
> **username_0**: and yah, nature is probably not accurate. natural is probably the right translation.  
> **username_3**: Thanks for the reward. Although academically disputable, it still can be claimed that there is a uniform of written Chinese, which has been used for over 2000 years, regardless the dialectal varieties, which are mainly referred to spoken language. Although scholars initiated a parallel Cantonese written system in the early 20th century, catering to its unique spoken language, it is still regarded as an informal sub-written form. The idioms you're discussing are definitely not unique to Cantonese but passed down from classic literary Chinese.  
> **username_3**: Therefore, the translation of these Chinese idioms into another language, for instance English, does not vary by their use in Mandarin or Cantonese or other dialects. If you use these idioms in writing, there is only one written form. If you speak them out in spoken language, I don't see any difference as well except pronunciation between different dialects. No word can be deleted from them and no word can be inserted into these idioms. 顺其自然or自知自明 would not be changed into 顺其叻自然or自知哋自明,lol.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-08-18. Score: 5

As username_1's comment goes, 其 here simply means 'it' and refers to the subject of the sentence where the word 顺其自然 is used. E.g.

> 那件事我们就顺其自然吧。
>
> For that matter let's just leave **it** to chance.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: thanks for the answer, but @username_3 offered a more comprehensive answer so felt compelled to reward his effort. but i will have more cantonese questions; don't worry :)  

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