中国水利

河流是河湖保护治理领域的基本概念，现有河流概念多局限于物理形态表征，未触及河流本质属性，也未考虑河流与流域的关联关系，存在适配性不足、实践场景难辨析等问题。针对该现实痛点，立足河流形成机制、本体构成与演化以及流域整体关联，以水循环和产汇流理论、河流生命理论、流域系统理论为核心支撑，提炼界定河流的“水流”“河槽”“流域”三大核心要素，明确流域性为河流的本质特征，对现有河流概念进行优化完善。在此基础上，聚焦实践场景中两类核心判定难点，即“某一对象是否为河流”“某一对象是独立河流还是河流组成部分”，系统辨析明确河流与各类非河流对象的边界。研究成果可有效弥补现有河流概念的理论缺陷，为开展河湖普查、河湖名录制定、河湖管理保护及科学研究提供基础支撑，避免实践中的概念误用。

As a fundamental concept in the field of river and lake protection and governance, the existing definitions of rivers are mostly confined to physical morphological characterization, without addressing the essential attributes of rivers or considering their interconnections with watersheds. This results in insufficient adaptability and ambiguous identification in practical scenarios. Aiming at such practical problems, focusing on the formation mechanism, ontological composition, and evolution of rivers, as well as their overall watershed correlation, and supported by the hydrological cycle and runoff yield and concentration theory, river life theory, and watershed system theory, this paper refines and defines three core constituent elements of rivers, including water flow, river channel, and watershed. It clarifies that watershed property is the essential characteristic of rivers, and optimizes and improves the existing river concept. On this basis, targeting two core identification difficulties in practical scenarios, namely whether a water object belongs to a river and whether a water object is an independent river or a component of a river system, the paper systematically distinguishes and clarifies the boundaries between rivers and various non-river objects. The research results can effectively remedy the theoretical defects of the current river concept, provide basic support for river and lake surveys, river and lake inventory compilation, river and lake management and protection, and relevant scientific research, and avoid conceptual misuse in practice.