valley spring; spring gushing from a valley
Refers to a natural spring emerging from a valley or mountain ravine. A somewhat literary or descriptive term.
The water of the valley spring deep in the mountains was cold and clear.
渓流 means 'mountain stream' or 'torrent', focusing on flowing water rather than the source.
Standard kanji spelling; 渓 means 'valley' and 泉 means 'spring'.
Variant using 谿, an older or less common character for 'valley'.
Compound of 渓 (valley) and 泉 (spring). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from the kanji.