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饮水思源

yǐn shuǐ sī yuándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. when you drink water, think of its source (idiom) / gratitude for blessings and their well-spring / Don't forget where your happiness come from. / Be grateful for all your blessings!
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0d411940e958102a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

飲水思源 饮水思源 [yin3 shui3 si1 yuan2] /lit. when you drink water, think of its source (idiom); gratitude for blessings and their well-spring/Don't forget where your happiness come from./Be grateful for all your blessings!/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 飲水思源

  • 饮
    yǐn

    to drink

    yìn

    to give (animals) water to drink

  • 水
    shuǐ

    water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance / shoddy / (bound form) additional cost / extra income / classifier for washings of a garment

    Shuǐ

    surname Shui / Shui ethnic group

  • 思
    sī

    to think / to consider

  • 源
    yuán

    root / source / origin

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.