📖 Meaning
All rivers and streams flow into the sea. It metaphorically means that many scattered or diverse things converge into one place. The idiom conveys the idea of unity through convergence.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, titled 'Changjiang' (The Yangtze River), Part Two. The line reads: 'The meaning of all streams returning to the sea, the hearts of all nations paying tribute to the sovereign.' Du Fu used the image of countless tributaries flowing into the sea to symbolize how all lands and peoples ultimately rally around a central authority.
💡 Example Usage
天下才学之士纷纷投奔，如众流归海，蔚为大观。
Scholars of talent from all over flocked to join him, like streams converging upon the sea, forming a magnificent gathering.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 众流归海
- Pinyin: zhòng liú guī hǎi
- Literal Translation: many, streams, return to, sea
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4