清水出芙蓉

qīngshuǐchūfúróng
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 a lotus rising fresh from clear water
  2. 2 natural, unadorned beauty
  3. 3 praise for unaffected elegance in writing or looks

Examples

Tā de wénzhāng qīng shuǐ chū fúróng, méiyǒu yīdiǎn diāozhuó.
Her essays are 'a lotus rising from clear water' — not a trace of artifice.
Zhè wèi xīnrén gēshǒu sǎngyīn qīng shuǐ chū fúróng, tiānrán dòngrén.
The new singer's voice is like 'a lotus rising from clear water' — naturally, effortlessly moving.

Tips

history
From Li Bai's (李白, Tang dynasty) 《后天怀江夏》: 清水芙蓉天然 — 'a lotus rising from clear water, natural and free of ornament.' Originally a compliment to Wei Liangzai's poetry; now shorthand for any beauty, literary or personal, that requires no embellishment.
usage
Almost always cited together with its twin 天然. 芙蓉 (fúróng) is the lotus flower (different from the modern 芙蓉 that can also mean hibiscus); here the canonical reading is lotus.

Stroke Order

qīng
shuǐ
chū
róng