📖 Meaning
The Yellow River is perennially muddy and turbid, so if its waters become clear, it is regarded as an auspicious omen. The idiom is used metaphorically to describe something extremely rare or hard to come by.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the essay 'Yunming Lun' (Essay on Destiny) by Li Kang of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Li Kang wrote that when the Yellow River runs clear, a sage is born, linking the rare natural phenomenon to the appearance of a great wise ruler. Since the Yellow River is famously muddy year-round, its clearing was considered a sign of heaven's favor. Over time, the expression came to symbolize any extraordinarily rare or precious occurrence.
💡 Example Usage
要让这个贪腐成风的衙门变得廉洁，简直如黄河水清一般难得。
Making this corruption-ridden government office honest and clean is as rare as the Yellow River running clear.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 黄河水清
- Pinyin: huáng hé shuǐ qīng
- Literal Translation: Yellow River, water, clear
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4