为有源头活水来

為有源頭活水來

wèi yǒu yuántóu huóshuǐ lái

quotation

Meanings

1 because fresh water keeps flowing from the source
2 constant renewal comes from fresh input / knowledge stays alive only with new sources

Characters

because (classical)

head (源头 = wellspring)

living / flowing

Examples

HSK 4

读书就像为有源头活水来，让人的思想保持新鲜。

Dúshū jiù xiàng wèiyǒuyuántóuhuóshuǐlái, ràng rén de sīxiǎng bǎochí xīnxiān.

Reading is like fresh water from a spring - it keeps one's thinking fresh.

HSK 5

企业要保持活力，必须为有源头活水来，不断创新。

Qǐyè yào bǎochí huólì, bìxū wèiyǒuyuántóuhuóshuǐlái, bùduàn chuàngxīn.

For a company to stay vital, fresh water must keep flowing from the source - constant innovation.

Tips

history

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.

Stroke Order

为 wéi

有 yǒu

源 yuán

头 tóu

活 huó

水 shuǐ

来 lái