“Be water” is late martial artist Bruce Lee’s philosophy popularized in the early 1970s. It was used by pro-Democracy protesters in Hong Kong in 2019.
Taking the concept further, protesters created four principles:
Be strong like ice—when confronted by police or violent vigilante groups.
Be fluid like water—when escaping through the city’s narrow streets.
Gather like dew—for “flash-mob” protests that are hard to prepare for.
And, scatter like mist—to avoid arrest, and be able to fight for another day.
