[WORDS TO THE WISE] Talking like a river

During the Chin Dynasty, there lived a scholar named Guo Shiang, who was an observer and thinker. Ever since Guo was young, he spent a lot of time pondering various aspects of everyday life. He paid attention to every little thing and as he grew up, he became interested in Laozi, Zhuangzhi and Taoism.



Guo was the most knowledgeable person of his time.

One year, Guo was appointed to work for the government, although he reluctantly left home, he committed to take the offer. When Guo arrived at the court, he soon became well-known as he knows things from current affairs, history and science, philosophical theories and so on. It seemed like there was nothing he could not answer.

Prime Minster Yang Yan admired Guo`s talent. He often praised Guo and said: "Guo Shiang`s speech is just like a river flowing down; it will never, ever dry up."

Later on, people expanded this statement of Wang Yan into an idiom; a person who is very eloquent in speech is "speak like a flowing river."