常在河边走，哪有不湿鞋

常在河邊走，哪有不濕鞋
chángzàihébiānzǒu,nǎyǒubùshīxié
  1. a person who regularly walks by the river cannot avoid getting their shoes wet (proverb)
  2. (fig.) it comes with the territory (e.g. a person with the power to grant favors will inevitably succumb to temptation and take a bribe)

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 常在 chángzài
  1. (Zhangping and Taiwanese Hokkien) often; frequently; usually
  2. (historical) first-class female attendant during the Qing dynasty
  3. first-class female attendant during the Qing dynasty
  4. often; frequently; usually
  5. to exist always; to be constantly present
2 河边 hébiān river bank
3 走 zǒu
  1. to walk
  2. to go
  3. to run
  4. to move (of vehicle)
  5. to visit
  6. to leave
  7. to go away
  8. to die (euph.)
  9. from
  10. through
  11. away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走 chèzǒu)
  12. to change (shape, form, meaning)
=4 哪 nǎ
  1. how
  2. which
=4 哪 na (emphatic sentence-final particle, used instead of 啊 a after a word ending in "n")
5 有 yǒu
  1. to have; there is
  2. (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意 yǒuyì intentional)
6 不 bù
  1. no; not so
  2. (bound form) not; un-
=7 湿 shī variant of 湿 shī
=7 湿 shī
  1. moist
  2. wet
=8 鞋 xié shoe

classifiers: 雙, 隻
=8 鞋 xié variant of 鞋 xié