During the Western Jin Dynasty, the philosopher Guo Xiang, styled Zixuan, hailed from Henan (modern-day Luoyang, Henan). A prodigy in his youth, he delved deeply into philosophy, particularly the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Before him, dozens had annotated the *Zhuangzi* but missed its essence. Then Xiang Xiu reinterpreted these ideas, and Guo Xiang expanded Xiang Xiu's *Commentary on Zhuangzi* into a new work, amplifying Daoist thought and sparking its widespread revival. When local authorities summoned him to office, Guo Xiang declined, preferring to stay home writing and debating. A brilliant orator, he often gathered with scholars to argue over various schools of thought.
During the Western Jin Dynasty, Grand Commandant Wang Yan, a high-ranking minister who fancied himself a scholar of Laozi and Zhuangzi, was notorious for changing his views on a whim, earning the nickname "changing his words like yellow paste." When he heard that the philosopher Guo Xiang had a profound mastery of these texts, Wang Yan, confident in his own eloquence and official status, sought him out to test him. At first, Wang Yan dismissed Guo Xiang as unworthy. But as soon as they began discussing philosophy, Guo Xiang spoke with such depth and clarity that Wang Yan could not get a word in edgewise. Overcome with admiration, Wang Yan humbly befriended him on the spot. Later, whenever the topic arose, Wang Yan would exclaim, "Guo Xiang's arguments pour forth like a waterfall, flowing endlessly without ever running dry!"
When word of his brilliance reached the palace, the court summoned Guo Xiang to serve as a high-ranking official, eventually appointing him as Chief Clerk to the Grand Tutor—a key aide responsible for drafting documents for the emperor.
Later, "Suspending River, Pouring Water" came to describe someone whose speech or writing is quick-witted, unrestrained, and inexhaustible.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Guo Xiang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "悬河泻水" came to describe how someone whose speech or writing is quick-witted, unrestrained, and inexhaustible.