📖 Meaning
To stir up and wash away foul water, allowing clean water to rise to the surface. Metaphorically, it means to eliminate what is corrupt, base, or harmful and to promote what is pure, virtuous, and good. The idiom is synonymous with the more common form 激浊扬清.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom is a variant of 激浊扬清 (jī zhuó yáng qīng), which reverses the character order. The concept originates from the imagery of water purification — stirring sediment so that impurities are flushed away and clarity emerges. In classical Chinese political thought, this metaphor was applied to governance: the ruler or minister should actively cleanse the court of corrupt officials and elevate the upright. The phrase appears in historical and literary texts as a call for moral reform and institutional renewal, though no single definitive source text is recorded for this specific variant.
💡 Example Usage
新任主编决心激扬清浊，彻底整顿编辑部的不良风气。
The newly appointed chief editor is determined to eliminate the bad and promote the good, thoroughly rectifying the unhealthy atmosphere in the editorial department.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 激扬清浊
- Pinyin: jī yáng qīng zhuó
- Literal Translation: agitate, raise, clear, turbid
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4