水至清则无鱼，人至察则无徒

water that is too clear has no fish, and one who is too severe has no friends (idiom)

person; people / CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4]

surname Shui

water / river / liquid / beverage / additional charges or income / (of clothes) classifier for number of washes

not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less

Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of imperial China (1644-1911) / surname Qing

clear / distinct / quiet / just and honest / pure / to settle or clear up / to clean up or purge

(of water etc) clear; clean / quiet; still / pure; uncorrupted / clear; distinct / to clear; to settle (accounts)

surname Yu

fish / CL:條|条[tiao2],尾[wei3]

to arrive / most / to / until

(conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but / then / standard / norm / principle / to imitate / to follow / classifier for written items

(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then / (bound form) standard; norm / (bound form) principle / (literary) to imitate; to follow / classifier for written items

surname Tu

disciple / apprentice / believer / on foot / bare or empty / to no avail / only / prison sentence

disciple; apprentice; believer / on foot / bare; empty / to no avail / only / prison sentence

short name for Chahar Province 察哈爾|察哈尔[Cha2 ha1 er3]

to examine / to inquire / to observe / to inspect / to look into / obvious / clearly evident

variant of 察[cha2]