The saying "the Yellow River has a hundred ways to hurt you and only one to help," the quip "jump into the Yellow River and you won't wash clean," and the nickname "little Yellow Rivers" given to its flood channels--all point to the degree of damage done by the river.
「黃河百害，唯利一套」；常泛濫的永定河外號「小黃河」；還有句玩笑話「跳到黃河洗不清」… … 都直接、間接地說明瞭黃河「為害」的程度。