📖 Meaning
The Jing River runs clear while the Wei River runs muddy. It is a metaphor for the obvious contrast between the moral character of people or the quality of things, where good and bad are readily distinguishable at a glance.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Classic of Poetry (Shijing), specifically the poem 'Gufeng' from the Bei Feng section, which mentions that the Jing River appears muddy because of the Wei River's turbidity. The Tang dynasty scholar Kong Yingda glossed this line in his subcommentary, explaining the relationship between the two rivers' clarity. Over time, the phrase evolved to symbolize a clear-cut distinction between purity and impurity, or excellence and mediocrity, drawn from the observable contrast of these two rivers converging in Shaanxi province.
💡 Example Usage
这两位候选人的政绩一比，可谓泾清渭浊，高下立判。
Comparing the track records of these two candidates, the contrast is as clear as the Jing and Wei rivers, and the difference is immediately obvious.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 泾清渭浊
- Pinyin: jīng qīng wèi zhuó
- Literal Translation: Jing, clear, Wei, muddy
- Category: Clarity
- Characters: 4