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流水不腐

Mandarin · pinyin liú shuǐ bù fǔ

flowing water does not rot

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Characters in this entry

流: liú · flow, circulate, drift; class
水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
腐: fǔ · rot, decay, spoil; rotten

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–3–4–3 · liu2 shui3 bu4 fu3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lau4 seoi2 bat1 fu6

Cantonese word readings for 流水不腐. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) Flowing water is never stale
(figuratively) A rolling stone gathers no moss
(figuratively) Things in frequent use are not easily eroded, and can remain energetic.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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