看破红尘 — “To be disillusioned with the mortal world”
看破红尘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be disillusioned with the mortal world”. To see through the vanity and illusions of life, often leading to a renunciation of worldly desires. Literally, “See through the red dust”.
看破红尘 Pronunciation and Pinyin
看破红尘 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 看破红尘
Origin and Story of 看破红尘
In the early Qing Dynasty, Dong Xiaowan, a courtesan from Jinling, married Mao Pijiang.
After the Qing army captured Hangzhou, Hong Chengchou, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, seized her and presented her to Emperor Shunzhi.
Emperor Shunzhi was deeply fond of her and kept her in the Lanxin Palace, showering her with wealth and status. However, he could not win her heart.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang eventually had Dong Xiaowan killed.
Devastated and disillusioned with the mortal world, Emperor Shunzhi resolutely renounced his imperial life and became a monk.
Idioms Related to 看破红尘
Synonyms of 看破红尘
Antonyms of 看破红尘
More idioms starting with 看
- kàn看bù不shàng上yǎn眼to look down upon
- kàn看rén人xià下cài菜tailor approach to the person
- kàn看rén人xià下cài菜dié碟er儿treat people differently based on who they are
- kàn看rén人méi眉yǎn眼take one's cue from another's expression
- kàn看rén人méi眉jié睫observe someone's subtle cues
- kàn看rén人xíng行shì事act according to the person or circumstances
- kàn看rén人shuō说huà话tailor words to the listener
- kān看jiā家běn本shì事one's special skill or unique talent
- kān看jiā家běn本lǐng领one's special skill or unique expertise
- kàn看dé得jiàn见，，mō摸de得zháo着tangible and concrete
- kàn看wén文jù巨yǎn眼discerning judge of writings
- kàn看wén文lǎo老yǎn眼seasoned literary critic
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 看破红尘
What does 看破红尘 mean?
看破红尘 (kān pò hóng chén) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be disillusioned with the mortal world”.
How do you pronounce 看破红尘?
看破红尘 is pronounced kān pò hóng chén in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 看破红尘 literally mean?
Literally, 看破红尘 means “See through the red dust”. It is used to mean “to be disillusioned with the mortal world”.
Where does 看破红尘 come from?
看破红尘 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 看破红尘?
旧指看透人生，把生死哀乐都不放在心上的消极的生活态度。现也指受挫折后消极回避、无所作为的生活态度。