中流砥柱

Origin and story

Dizhu is the name of a pillar-like rock formation in the Yellow River. Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic describes the river dividing around it, and attaches the traditional account that Yu cut through obstructing mountains while controlling the flood. The landscape description and the legendary explanation are different kinds of evidence.

The Yanzi Chunqiu also mentions Dizhu's current in Gu Yezi's tale of recovering a horse from a giant turtle. Later Song writers explicitly liken dependable people to a pillar standing firm in midstream. The modern idiom draws its strength from that image: someone who holds a group together under pressure, rather than a literal column built in a river.