Reading is like fresh water from a spring — it keeps one's thinking fresh.
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From Zhu Xi's (朱熹) Song-dynasty philosophical poem 《观书有感·其一》: 半亩方塘一鉴开，天光云影共徘徊。问渠那得清如许？为有源头活水来 — 'A half-mu square pond opens like a mirror; sky and cloud shadows drift together. How does the pond stay so clear? — Because fresh water keeps flowing from the source.' A metaphor for how the mind stays clear only through constant study.
usage
Common in discussions of education, innovation, cultural renewal, and corporate R&D. Often used alongside 问渠那得清如许 or paraphrased as 源头活水.
