As the pioneer of China’s modern water management, Zhang Jian’s scientific water control thought and proposition have a profound impact on the development of modern water management,and there are also many enlightments for the governance of rivers in China. Through historical data and literature research, this paper explores the gist of Zhang Jian’s scientific water control thought.The study found that Zhang Jian’sscientific water control thought is an organic system which includes “what is scientific water management”, “how to manage water scientifically” and “who should do it”.The rich contents of Zhang Jian’sscientific thought on water management can be grasped from five aspects: the essential connotation,the fundamental principle, the core essence, the important measures and the main subject,and its gistcan be summarized as “Three follow” of conforming to the low, “three advocates” of emphasizing on measurement, “three propositions” of integrating science with technology, “three coordination” of thinking the overall plan systematically, and “three adherence” of cultivating water management experts.