姗姗来迟 — “To arrive late”
姗姗来迟 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to arrive late”. Often implying a slow, graceful, or unhurried pace, or an intentional delay. Literally, “Slowly and gracefully arriving late”.
Frequency
姗姗来迟 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 姗shān
- 姗shān
- 来lái
- 迟chí
姗姗来迟 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 姗姗来迟
会议已经开始很久了，他才姗姗来迟，引起大家的不满。
The meeting had already started for a long time when he finally arrived late, causing dissatisfaction among everyone.
Origin and Story of 姗姗来迟
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, deeply favored Lady Li, who was a singing and dancing performer. She was highly skilled in both.
Lady Li later fell ill and passed away. Emperor Wu was extremely grieved by her death and arranged a grand funeral for her.
Consumed by longing, Emperor Wu summoned the sorcerer Shaoweng to conjure Lady Li's spirit. From behind a curtain, he vaguely saw Lady Li's silhouette. Moved by this, he composed a poem that said: "I was anxiously awaiting, but you arrived so slowly and gracefully late."
Idioms Related to 姗姗来迟
Questions about 姗姗来迟
- What does 姗姗来迟 mean?
- 姗姗来迟 (shān shān lái chí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to arrive late”.
- How do you pronounce 姗姗来迟?
- 姗姗来迟 is pronounced shān shān lái chí in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 姗姗来迟 literally mean?
- Literally, 姗姗来迟 means “Slowly and gracefully arriving late”. It is used to mean “to arrive late”.
- Where does 姗姗来迟 come from?
- 姗姗来迟 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 姗姗来迟?
- 姗姗：形容走得缓慢从容。慢腾腾地来晚了。