📖 Meaning
A metaphor for people of noble character and integrity, or for things of high moral quality and refinement. It uses the imagery of fragrant plants growing by famous rivers to suggest that purity and virtue arise naturally from a noble environment or innate disposition.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Qu Yuan's poem 'Nine Songs - The Lady of the Xiang River' (《九歌·湘夫人》), written during the Warring States period of the Chu kingdom. Qu Yuan, one of China's greatest poets, wrote: 'By the Yuan River grows angelica, by the Li River grows orchid' (沅有茞兮澧有兰). The line originally described the flora of the Xiang River region, but over centuries it evolved into a metaphor for virtuous and refined people. The rivers Yuan and Li are both tributaries of the Yangtze in present-day Hunan province.
💡 Example Usage
他一生清廉自守，真可谓沅茞澧兰，令人敬仰。
He lived a life of incorruptible integrity, truly a man of noble character, inspiring deep admiration.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 沅茞澧兰
- Pinyin: yuán zhǐ lǐ lán
- Literal Translation: Yuan (river) angelica, Li (river) orchid
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4