问渠哪得清如许

問渠哪得清如許

Wèn qú nǎ dé qīng rú xǔ

quotation

Meanings

1 ask the canal how it can be so clear - a rhetorical question leading to the answer 'because fresh water keeps flowing in'
2 literally: ask the channel, how can it get so clear?

Characters

channel / canal (also 'it' classical)

such / so (classical)

Examples

HSK 4

这家公司总有新产品，真是问渠哪得清如许。

Zhè jiā gōngsī zǒng yǒu xīn chǎnpǐn, zhēnshì wèn qú nǎ dé qīng rú xǔ.

This company always has new products - truly, 'ask the canal how it stays so clear'.

HSK 7-9

问渠哪得清如许，为有源头活水来，学习也是一样的道理。

Wèn qú nǎ dé qīng rú xǔ, wèi yǒu yuántóu huóshuǐ lái, xuéxí yě shì yíyàng de dàolǐ.

'Ask the canal how it can be so clear? - because fresh water keeps flowing from the source.' Learning works the same way.

Tips

history

From Zhu Xi's (朱熹) Southern Song poem 《观书有感》 (On Reading Books). Couplet: 问渠哪得清如许？为有源头活水来 - 'Ask the canal how it can be so clear? - because fresh water keeps flowing in from the source.' Written after a morning of reading: the clear pool is a metaphor for a clear mind, constantly refreshed by new learning. 渠 here is a classical third-person pronoun as well as 'channel' - poets exploited the pun.

usage

Paired couplet - the second half 为有源头活水来 completes it. Beloved in educational speeches: the standard metaphor for continuous learning / renewal. 哪 here is nǎ (how, why) in the classical rhetorical-question sense.

Stroke Order

问 wèn

渠 qú

哪 nǎ

得 de

清 qīng

如 rú

许 xǔ