Meaning:

“端水” means “to carry water,” and “大师” means “master.” Together it refers to a person who treats people equally and acts impartially. This term coined by Chinese netizens originated from the long-existing colloquial saying “一碗水端平” (literally, to hold a bowl of water horizontally), which is a metaphor for treating people equally and doing things impartially. Therefore, this newly coined term refers to those who can do things in an apparently impartial way so that no one will complain about it. Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming was given the title recently after he voted for all 30 contestants on the hit show “Sisters Who Make Waves.”

Example:

A: 我们部门下周举行一个K歌比赛，请小明当评委好不好？

Wǒmen bùmén xiàzhōu jǔxíng yīgè K gē bǐsài，qǐng xiǎomíng dāng píngwěi hǎobuhǎo？

Our department will hold a Karaoke singing contest next week. How about having Xiao Ming on the jury?

B: 他是个端水大师，我建议你还是找个敢说话的。

Tā shì ge duānshuǐ dàshī，wǒ jiànyì nǐ háishì zhǎo ge gǎn shuōhuà de。

He’s a middle-of-the-road kind of person and doesn’t want to offend anyone. I suggest you look for someone who is more candid.