Synopsis
Hua Long Dian Jing is a Chinese idiom meaning to add the finishing touch that brings something to life, from a story of a painter whose dragons flew away when he painted their eyes.
The Story
The idiom Paint the Dragon Eyes (画龙点睛) comes from a story during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Legend has it that a famous painter named Zhang Sengyao painted four dragons on the wall of Anle Temple in Jinling, but deliberately left out their eyes. When asked why, he replied: If I paint the eyes, the dragons will fly away. People did not believe him and insisted he paint the eyes. When he finally painted the eyes on two of the dragons, thunder and lightning struck, the wall cracked, and the two dragons flew up into the clouds. The two dragons without eyes remained on the wall.
Origin
This idiom comes from Tang Dynasty writer Zhang Yanyuan's Record of Famous Painters of Successive Dynasties.
Definition
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | hua long dian jing |
| Meaning | To add the finishing touch that brings something to life |
| Synonyms | Adding brilliance to perfection |
| Antonyms | Gilding the lily, spoiling by overdoing |
| Source | Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yanyuan |
Usage
The idiom is commonly used to describe a crucial detail or phrase that perfects a work. For example: The sentence he added at the end of the article was truly the finishing touch.
It is widely used in modern Chinese to describe the pivotal detail in an article or work that makes it come alive.
Related Idioms
Other idioms related to artistic creation include: Bi Zou Long She (vigorous calligraphy strokes), Xu Xu Ru Sheng (lifelike painting), Wei Miao Wei Xiao (extremely accurate imitation), Hua She Tian Zu (gilding the lily).
References
- Baidu Baike: Hua Long Dian Jing
- ZDIC: Chinese Dictionary
- Record of Famous Painters - Zhang Yanyuan
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