水爲中國古代神話、思想、宗教及文學中頗爲重要的議題。由於地理環境的影響，南方楚地的《楚辭》與水之間有著密不可分的關係。從原始思維的角度而言，《楚辭》之水具有巫文化中巫者由凡俗濁垢之地進入神聖諸神境域前的聖潔象徵。巫者在聖潔之水的洗淨下滌除人間眾穢，始能進入至聖眾神之殿。在上述原始水思維的背景下，屈原將其昇華爲其生命的一部分；分別以高潔之水喻己忠貞之性，而以溷濁之水比擬楚國混濁惡世。此外，《楚辭》之水亦具有生命永恆的思維。縣在具有水生生物特徵的黃熊變形下，經由羽淵之水的洗禮而再生；表現出古代生命永恆的生命觀。當高潔理想與混沌現實衝突時，水亦成爲屈原悒悒愁思的重要心靈投射對象，並以傲骨自沉來實現其偉大的道德理想境界。至於《楚辭•漁父》之「滄浪之歌」不但爲先秦兩漠十分著名之古歌謠，從漁父與屈原的對談中，更可以發現先秦儒道兩家對於滄浪之水詮解的差異。前者爲道家泯除水之情濁分執之分來表達隨順自然的態度逍遙物外的哲思；而後者則是儒家「澡身浴德」的尚潔人生哲學。

The water was very important issue in ancient chinese mythology, philosophy, religion and literature. According to the primal thinking, the water of Chuci had the sacred symbol of witches and wizards. Shaman could enter the sacred palace by the clearing of holy and pure water. Under the tradition of primal water thinking, Qu-Yuan sublimed the water into the part of his life. In addition, the water of Chuci had the thinking of eternal life. Under the transformation of Huang-xiong (黃熊) Gun (鯀) expressed the thinking of eternal life by the baptism of the Yu-yuan water (羽淵之水). In the conflict between holy perfection and chaotic reality, the water not only became the important projective object of Qu-Yuan's gloomy mind, but also achieved the ideal perfection by self-submerging. The Cang Lang Ge (滄浪之歌) was famous poem in Pre-Qin and Han Dynasty, and showed the difference of explanatory about the Cang Lang Ge between the Confucianism and the Taoism in Pre-Qin period. Taoism's Cang Lang Ge placed importance on the acceptation of Xiao-Yao, Confucianism focused on the philosophy of pure advocating.