hóngshuǐ: 洪水 - Flood, Deluge

• Keywords: hóngshuǐ, hongshui, 洪水, what does hongshui mean, Chinese for flood, Chinese flood myth, Great Flood of China, Dayu controls the floods, 大禹治水, Chinese natural disasters, learn Chinese
• Summary: Learn the meaning of 洪水 (hóngshuǐ), the Chinese word for “flood.” This entry goes beyond a simple definition, exploring its literal use in describing natural disasters and its profound cultural significance rooted in the ancient Chinese flood myth of “Yu the Great Taming the Waters” (大禹治水). Understand how this term reflects deep-seated Chinese values about perseverance, leadership, and humanity's relationship with nature.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): hóngshuǐ
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: A large inundation of water over land that is normally dry.
• In a Nutshell: 洪水 (hóngshuǐ) literally means “flood” or “deluge.” It refers to the natural disaster of a river overflowing its banks or excessive rainfall causing widespread water coverage. Beyond its literal meaning, the term carries immense cultural weight in China, evoking the foundational myth of civilization overcoming chaos and the constant struggle between humanity and nature.

• 洪 (hóng): This character is composed of the “water” radical `氵` (shuǐ) on the left and `共` (gòng), meaning “together” or “common,” on the right. You can think of it as “all the water coming together,” which vividly paints a picture of a great, vast flood.
• 水 (shuǐ): This is one of the most basic Chinese characters, a pictogram representing flowing water. It is the character for “water” itself.

When combined, 洪水 (hóngshuǐ) literally translates to “great water,” a direct and powerful term for a flood.

The concept of 洪水 (hóngshuǐ) is central to the Chinese origin story, much like the Garden of Eden is to the West. The key legend is 大禹治水 (Dà Yǔ Zhì Shuǐ) - Yu the Great Taming the Waters. According to the myth, a catastrophic 洪水 plagued ancient China for generations. The emperor appointed a man named Gun to solve the problem. Gun built dams and dikes to block the water, but they ultimately failed, making the disaster worse. His son, Yu (禹), took over and adopted a completely different strategy. Instead of fighting the water, he worked with its nature. For thirteen years, he traveled the land, dredging channels to guide the floodwaters to the sea. He worked so tirelessly that he famously passed by his own home three times without stopping to see his family. His success not only saved the people but also established the legitimacy of the Xia Dynasty, China's first dynasty, with him as its founder. Comparison to Western Culture: This story offers a fascinating contrast to the story of Noah's Ark.

• Response to the Flood: In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the flood is a divine punishment, and the solution is to escape it through divine instruction (building an ark). In the Chinese myth, the 洪水 is a natural, albeit calamitous, challenge. The solution is human-centered: perseverance, collective effort, and brilliant engineering led by a selfless and competent ruler.
• Core Value: The story of Noah emphasizes faith and obedience to God. The story of Yu the Great champions the values of self-sacrifice (牺牲 xīshēng), perseverance (坚持 jiānchí), and pragmatic problem-solving. It establishes a core Chinese belief that good governance means actively protecting the people from natural disasters and ensuring harmony between humanity and nature.

1. Literal Natural Disaster: This is the most common usage. It appears frequently in news reports, weather forecasts, and conversations about actual flooding events, which are a serious concern in many parts of China, especially along the Yangtze (长江) and Yellow (黄河) rivers.

• Example: News headline about flood warnings.

2. Metaphorical Overload: Just like in English, 洪水 can be used metaphorically to describe an overwhelming influx or arrival of something.

• Example: A “flood of information” (信息洪水 - xìnxī hóngshuǐ) or a “flood of tourists.”

3. Historical and Mythological Reference: The term is often used when discussing Chinese history and the foundational myth of Da Yu Zhi Shui. The connotation is almost always negative, implying chaos, destruction, and a force that is difficult to control. It is a neutral-to-formal term suitable for most contexts.

• Example 1:
  • 每年夏天，这条河都会发洪水。
  • Pinyin: Měinián xiàtiān, zhè tiáo hé dōu huì fā hóngshuǐ.
  • English: Every summer, this river floods.
  • Analysis: A simple, factual statement about a recurring event. `发洪水 (fā hóngshuǐ)` is a common verb-object phrase meaning “to flood” or “for a flood to occur.”
• Example 2:
  • 新闻报道说，南方的洪水已经导致数千人无家可归。
  • Pinyin: Xīnwén bàodào shuō, nánfāng de hóngshuǐ yǐjīng dǎozhì shù qiān rén wújiākěguī.
  • English: The news report says the floods in the south have already left thousands of people homeless.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates typical usage in a formal, news-reporting context. It connects the flood directly to its disastrous consequences.
• Example 3:
  • “大禹治水”是中国古代关于战胜洪水的神话故事。
  • Pinyin: “Dà Yǔ Zhì Shuǐ” shì Zhōngguó gǔdài guānyú zhànshèng hóngshuǐ de shénhuà gùshì.
  • English: “Yu the Great Taming the Waters” is an ancient Chinese myth about overcoming a great flood.
  • Analysis: This sentence explicitly links 洪水 to its most important cultural story.
• Example 4:
  • 打开邮箱，我发现自己被洪水般的垃圾邮件淹没了。
  • Pinyin: Dǎkāi yóuxiāng, wǒ fāxiàn zìjǐ bèi hóngshuǐ bān de lājī yóujiàn yānmò le.
  • English: Opening my inbox, I found I was drowned in a flood of spam emails.
  • Analysis: A clear metaphorical use. The structure `洪水般的 (hóngshuǐ bān de)` means “flood-like” and is used to describe an overwhelming quantity.
• Example 5:
  • 政府正在采取紧急措施来控制洪水。
  • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài cǎiqǔ jǐnjí cuòshī lái kòngzhì hóngshuǐ.
  • English: The government is taking emergency measures to control the flood.
  • Analysis: This shows the practical application of the term in the context of disaster management. `控制洪水 (kòngzhì hóngshuǐ)` means “to control a flood.”
• Example 6:
  • 对一些人来说，网络谣言就像洪水猛兽一样可怕。
  • Pinyin: Duì yīxiē rén lái shuō, wǎngluò yáoyán jiù xiàng hóngshuǐ měngshòu yīyàng kěpà.
  • English: For some people, online rumors are as terrifying as a dreadful scourge (lit: floods and fierce beasts).
  • Analysis: This uses the four-character idiom (chengyu) `洪水猛兽 (hóngshuǐ měngshòu)`, which equates floods with fierce beasts to mean any great calamity or evil.
• Example 7:
  • 洪水退去后，村民们开始重建家园。
  • Pinyin: Hóngshuǐ tuìqù hòu, cūnmínmen kāishǐ chóngjiàn jiāyuán.
  • English: After the flood receded, the villagers began to rebuild their homes.
  • Analysis: `退去 (tuìqù)` means “to recede” or “to retreat,” a common verb used with 洪水.
• Example 8:
  • 这座古城曾经被一场巨大的洪水摧毁了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zuò gǔchéng céngjīng bèi yī chǎng jùdà de hóngshuǐ cuīhuǐ le.
  • English: This ancient city was once destroyed by a massive flood.
  • Analysis: The measure word for a flood event is `场 (chǎng)`. `一场洪水` means “a flood” or “an instance of flooding.”
• Example 9:
  • 气候变化可能导致更频繁的洪水和干旱。
  • Pinyin: Qìhòu biànhuà kěnéng dǎozhì gèng pínfán de hóngshuǐ hé gānhàn.
  • English: Climate change may lead to more frequent floods and droughts.
  • Analysis: This places the term in a modern, scientific context, pairing it with its opposite, `干旱 (gānhàn)` - drought.
• Example 10:
  • 修建三峡大坝的主要目的之一就是为了防洪。
  • Pinyin: Xiūjiàn Sānxiá Dàbà de zhǔyào mùdì zhī yī jiùshì wèile fáng hóng.
  • English: One of the main purposes of building the Three Gorges Dam was for flood control.
  • Analysis: Here, the character `洪` is used as a shorthand for 洪水 in the compound word `防洪 (fánghóng)`, which means “to prevent/control floods.”

• 洪水 (hóngshuǐ) vs. 水灾 (shuǐzāi):

These terms are very similar but have a subtle difference. 洪水 refers to the phenomenon of the large volume of water itself. 水灾 (shuǐzāi), which means “water disaster,” focuses on the calamity and destruction caused by the flood. In a news report, you might hear: “这场洪水 (this flood) 造成了严重的水灾 (a serious flood disaster).” In casual speech, they are often used interchangeably.

• Common Mistake: Overly Broad Usage

A beginner might be tempted to use 洪水 for any situation involving too much water. However, it is reserved for large-scale, natural flooding. For a burst pipe flooding your kitchen, you would not use 洪水. Instead, you would say something more specific like `厨房淹水了 (chúfáng yān shuǐ le)` - “The kitchen is flooded/submerged.” Using 洪水 for a small, indoor incident would sound overly dramatic and incorrect.

• The Cultural “False Friend”:

While “flood” is a direct translation, the English word lacks the deep mythological resonance of 洪水. Hearing “flood,” an English speaker thinks of a weather event or a disaster. Hearing 洪水, a native Chinese speaker may subconsciously connect it to the very origin of their civilization, the taming of chaos, and the ideal of a competent, selfless leader. The mistake is not in translation, but in underestimating its cultural weight.

• 水灾 (shuǐzāi) - A flood disaster; emphasizes the calamitous result of a flood.
• 大禹治水 (Dà Yǔ Zhì Shuǐ) - The foundational Chinese myth about Yu the Great taming the floods.
• 天灾 (tiānzāi) - Natural disaster; the broader category that 洪水 falls into.
• 防洪 (fánghóng) - Flood control/prevention; a modern term for managing floods.
• 洪水猛兽 (hóng shuǐ měng shòu) - A chengyu (idiom) meaning “a dreadful scourge” or “a great evil.”
• 淹 (yān) - A verb meaning to submerge, inundate, or drown. Often used to describe the action of a flood.
• 泛滥 (fànlàn) - To overflow, to be in flood. Can also be used metaphorically for things spreading unchecked (e.g., negative ideas).
• 灾难 (zāinàn) - A disaster or catastrophe in a general sense.
• 干旱 (gānhàn) - Drought; the direct antonym of a flood.