Zhang Jian is the pioneer of water conservancy education in modern China. Studying his water conservancy education thoughts can not only expand his water conservancy spirit, but also have some enlightenment significance for contemporary water conservancy education. Through historical data and literature research, this paper explores the connotation and core content of Zhang Jian’s water conservancy education thought on the basis of tracing its origin. The study found that Zhang Jian’s water conservancy education thought included the educational purpose of “saving the nation from extinction and strengthening the country”, the construction of a simple and arduous style of study, the educational principle of “putting learning into practice and paying attention to practice”, the training goal of “putting morality first and developing in an all-round way”, and the educational idea of “learning must be expected to be used, and use must be suitable for the place”. This paper suggests that contemporary water conservancy education should strengthen ideological and moral education and carry forward the spirit of water conservancy in the new era on the basis of inheriting and innovating Zhang Jian’s water conservancy education thought, develop modern water conservancy education to conform to the development trend of the new era, and cultivate application-oriented water conservancy talents with the spirit of hard work and plain living and strong patriotism.