The You River () is the largest tributary of the Yuan River, one of main rivers in the Wuling Mountains in Southwest China. Its other name is Gengshi River (); it was called Youxi River () in ancient times. Its trunk stream flows through Hubei, Chongqing and Hunan, and its drainage basin reaches into Guizhou. Its watershed covers an area of , including of Hubei, of Hunan, of Chongqing and of Guizhou; it has a length of .
The valley of the You River was home of the ancient Ba people, the ancestors of the Tujia people. The You River basin is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization: the Qin Dynasty Bamboo Slips of Liye and the Tusi Sites of Laosicheng and Tangya were discovered in the region.
The You River has two headstreams, the north and south sources. The north source, the Beihe River () is the main stream; it originates in the Qizimei Mountains () in Xuan'en County of Hubei. The south source, commonly named Meijiang River () or Xiushan River () originates in Shanyangxi () of Songtao County, Guizhou. The Meijiang River merges into the main stream at Liangjiangkou () of Shiti Town () in Xiushan County of Chongqing.
The upper section of the main stream of the You River is named the Baishui River (). It rises in the Qizimei Mountains () of Yangliuhzhai Village () in Chunmuying Township (), Xuan'en.