諺語 · a single proverb
開源節流
Simplified: 开源节流
What does 開源節流 (kāi yuán jié liú) mean?
開源節流 (kāi yuán jié liú) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "open the source, restrain the flow." In use it means: Widen your streams of income while curbing what drains away. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Ox.
Literally: "open the source, restrain the flow."
The reading
Two hands, always. One opens the spring wider; the other quietly narrows the leak you have been pretending not to see. You cannot fill a vessel you refuse to mend.
The story
From the Xunzi, the essay 富國, Enriching the State: the ruler who would make a country rich must open the sources and restrain the outflow. What Xunzi prescribed for a state is just as true for a household, two hands working at once, one widening income and one narrowing the leak.
Work both hands this month, not just the one you prefer. Widen a stream of income, yes, but also quietly close the drain you have been pretending not to see, because you cannot fill a vessel you refuse to mend.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Xunzi 荀子, 富國 (Enriching the State), Warring States period
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Pig.
Questions
Is 開源節流 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 開源節流 (kāi yuán jié liú) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Xunzi 荀子, 富國 (Enriching the State), Warring States period. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 開源節流?
In Mandarin it is kāi yuán jié liú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 開源節流 aloud in Mandarin.