飲水思源

Chinese

	to drink water	to think; to consider	root; source; origin
trad. (飲水思源)	飲水	思	源
simp. (饮水思源)	饮水	思	源
Literally: “drink water, consider the source”.

Etymology

Literally "when you drink water, think of its source", i.e. remember where and how the water came from. Don’t just be thankful for the water: be thankful for all the elements and processes (both past and present) that allowed you to enjoy that humble cup of water.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yǐnshuǐsīyuán

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄙㄩㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jam² seoi² si¹ jyun⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: yǐnshuǐsīyuán [Phonetic: yínshuǐsīyuán]
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄣˇ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄙㄩㄢˊ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yyinshoeisyyuan
  - IPA ^(key): /in²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ sz̩⁵⁵ y̯ɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: jam² seoi² si¹ jyun⁴
  - Yale: yám séui sī yùhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jam² soey² si¹ jyn⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: yem² sêu² xi¹ yun⁴
  - IPA ^(key): /jɐm³⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ siː⁵⁵ jyːn²¹/

Idiom

飲水思源

to remember where one's happiness comes from; to not forget one's roots or heritage

Descendants

→ Vietnamese: uống nước nhớ nguồn (calque)

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