Chinese Idiom: 源头活水 (Yuan Tou Huo Shui)
English Translation: Living Water from the Source
pīn yīn: yuán tóu huó shuǐ
Idiom Meaning: This idiom suggests that for knowledge to advance and for enterprises to develop, one must continually absorb new ideas and explore new questions.
Historical Source: From Zhu Xi’s poem “Reflections on Reading” (《观书有感》) during the Song Dynasty.
Idiom Story:
Zhu Xi was a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, well-known for his literary prowess and lively poetry. Among his many writings, several poems reflect his spontaneous thoughts as he pondered various issues while enjoying nature.
One early spring day, as Zhu Xi strolled through the lush green grass, he was deeply engrossed in contemplation near a pond, grappling with a challenging question from his studies. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. Looking up at the pond before him, he noticed its surface shimmered like a bright mirror, and the clear water revealed the reflections of the sky and clouds, rippling gently.
Inspired by this sight, he composed a seven-character poem titled “Reflections on Reading,” which contains four lines:
Half an acre square pond like a mirror opens,
Where sky light and cloud shadows linger and hover.
How can this water be so clear, you ask?
It’s because of the living water flowing from the source.
In the poem, the pond is compared to a bright mirror, reflecting the sky and clouds, constantly changing as time passes. Zhu Xi wonders how the water could remain so clear and concludes that it is because fresh, living water continuously flows in from the source.
Over time, people simplified the last line of his poem, “It’s because of the living water flowing from the source,” into the idiom “源头活水.”
