人面桃花 — “Human face and peach blossoms”
人面桃花 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a man's nostalgic recollection of a beautiful woman he met once, often in a picturesque setting with peach blossoms, after they have parted ways, evoking a sense of lost beauty and a cherished memory”. Literally, “Human face and peach blossoms”.
人面桃花 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 人rén
- 面miàn
- 桃táo
- 花huā
人面桃花 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 人面桃花
Origin and Story of 人面桃花
During the Tang Dynasty, a scholar traveled to the capital for imperial examinations. One day, while strolling in the southern suburbs of the city, he saw a charming cottage and found an excuse to enter. There, he met a beautiful maiden and was instantly smitten.
The following Qingming Festival, he returned to the same house, only to find the gate locked and the house empty. The maiden seemed to have moved away. Filled with melancholy, he inscribed a poem on the gate: 'Last year today, within this door, a human face and peach blossoms glowed. Where has that lovely face now gone? The peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.' He then left.
A few days later, still unable to forget, he revisited the spot. This time, the gate was not locked, and he met the maiden's father, who tearfully told him, 'My daughter read your poem and fell ill with lovesickness. Tragically, she passed away because of it.'
Deeply saddened, the scholar embraced the maiden's body and wept bitterly. To his surprise, the maiden suddenly awakened. It turned out she had only fainted. Soon after, the maiden's health fully recovered, and she and the scholar were united in marriage.
Idioms Related to 人面桃花
Synonyms of 人面桃花
More idioms starting with 人
- rén人yī一jǐ己bǎi百make hundredfold effort to catch up
- rén人dīng丁xīng兴wàng旺a flourishing and growing family
- rén人bù不wèi为jǐ己，，tiān天zhū诛dì地miè灭Heaven and Earth condemn the unselfish
- rén人bù不rén人，，guǐ鬼bù不guǐ鬼looking ghastly or grotesque
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相Don't judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不kě可mào貌xiàng相，，hǎi海shuǐ水bù不kě可dǒu斗liáng量Never judge a person by appearance
- rén人bù不fàn犯wǒ我，，wǒ我bù不fàn犯rén人I will not offend unless offended
- rén人bù不zhī知，，guǐ鬼bù不jué觉done in complete secrecy
- rén人bù不liáo聊shēng生people can't make a living
- rén人bù不zì自ān安people are feeling uneasy
- rén人shì世cāng沧sāng桑the vicissitudes of human life
- rén人zhōng中zhī之lóng龙an outstanding person
Questions about 人面桃花
- What does 人面桃花 mean?
- 人面桃花 (rén miàn táo huā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a man's nostalgic recollection of a beautiful woman he met once, often in a picturesque setting with peach blossoms, after they have parted ways, evoking a sense of lost beauty and a cherished memory”.
- How do you pronounce 人面桃花?
- 人面桃花 is pronounced rén miàn táo huā in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 人面桃花 literally mean?
- Literally, 人面桃花 means “Human face and peach blossoms”. It is used to mean “describes a man's nostalgic recollection of a beautiful woman he met once, often in a picturesque setting with peach blossoms, after they have parted ways, evoking a sense of lost beauty and a cherished memory”.
- Where does 人面桃花 come from?
- 人面桃花 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 人面桃花?
- 形容男女邂逅钟情，随即分离之后，男子追念旧事的情形。