中國成語故事

源頭活水 Yuantou-Huoshui （Water Fresh Comes from Its Source）

朱熹出生于南劍州尤溪，今福建省三明市，是中國南宋時期著名的理學家、教育家和詩人。他十分善于觀察日常生活，從中總結出深刻的道理。“源頭活水”這一成語出自朱熹所寫的一首詩《觀書有感？·？其一》，這首詩總結了他在讀書時的感悟：

Zhu Xi， a luminary of the Southern Song Dynasty from Youxi County in Nanjian Prefecture， present-day Sanming City， Fujian Province， was renowned as a philosopher， educator， and poet. Gifted with a keen eye for the subtleties of everyday life， he distilled profound truths from his daily observations. The Chinese idiom yuantou-huoshui stems from a poem penned by Zhu Xi titled “The Book Part One，”in which he encapsulated his musings while immersed in books：

“半畝方塘一鑒 1開，天光云影共徘徊。

There lies a glassy oblong pool， Where light and shade pursue their course.

問渠那得清如許？為有源頭活水來。”

How can it be so clear and cool？ For water fresh comes from its source.2

這首詩的意思是：方形池塘里的水清澈無比，如同一面鏡子，倒映著天空與白云的影子。池塘里的水為何如此清澈呢？原來是有源源不斷的活水輸送進來。

This verse conveys the image of a pond exuding exceptional clarity， akin to a mirror mirroring the sky and clouds above. What accounts for this pristine purity？ It’s the unceasing flow of fresh waters from the source.

朱熹借池塘清澈的原因寫出自己讀書的感受，并闡述知識對人的益處：人若要心靈澄明，就得不斷地學習新知識，才能達到至高的境界。

Zhu Xi， through the metaphor of the limpid pond， articulated his sentiments about reading and expounded on the virtues of knowledge： to attain inner clarity， one must incessantly pursue new insights， striving towards the loftiest realms of understanding.

“源頭活水”常常被用來比喻“讀書越多，道理越明”，也可以被用來指代事物發展的動力和源泉。

Yuantou-huoshui is often evoked to signify that “the more one reads， the wiser one becomes，” and can also symbolize the impetus and origin of the evolution of various things.

1 鑒：鏡子。中國古代以銅為鏡，包以鏡袱，用時打開。In the original text， Zhu Xi employed the term jian to depict the pond water， where it symbolizes a mirror. In ancient China， mirrors were crafted from bronze and were kept in cloth covers， which were unfolded for use.

2 許淵沖譯著. 一年好景君須記[M]. 北京：五洲傳播出版社， 2019.