📖 Meaning
Spring water is clear when it stays in the mountains, but turns muddy once it flows out. This idiom metaphorically describes how a person who enters officialdom or politics tends to lose their moral purity and integrity. It reflects the traditional belief that the bureaucratic world inevitably corrupts even the most upright individuals.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu's famous poem 'The Beautiful Woman' (《佳人》). The line reads: '在山泉水清，出山泉水浊' — meaning spring water is clear in the mountains but becomes muddy once it leaves the mountains. Du Fu used this natural imagery to allude to how a virtuous person could remain pure as a recluse, but once entering the corrupt world of officialdom, their integrity would be tainted. The poem was written during a period of political turmoil in the Tang Dynasty when Du Fu himself experienced the disillusionment of serving in the imperial court.
💡 Example Usage
他做了官之后，也成了出山泉水，不复当年的清白了。
After becoming an official, he too became muddy spring water, no longer the pure and innocent person he once was.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 出山泉水
- Pinyin: chū shān quán shuǐ
- Literal Translation: exit, mountain, spring, water
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4