半老徐娘 — “Half-aged Lady Xu”
半老徐娘 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a middle-aged woman who, despite her age, still possesses considerable charm and attractiveness; a woman past her youth but still alluring”. Literally, “Half-aged Lady Xu”.
Frequency
半老徐娘 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 半bàn
- 老lǎo
- 徐xú
- 娘niáng
半老徐娘 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 半老徐娘
她虽然已是半老徐娘，但依然保持着优雅的举止和迷人的笑容，让人不由得心生好感
Although she is a woman past her prime, she still maintains elegant manners and a charming smile, which naturally endears her to people.
Origin and Story of 半老徐娘
During the Southern Dynasties, Xu Zhaopei, a concubine of Emperor Yuan of Liang (Xiao Yi, Prince of Xiangdong), received little affection from him.
She subsequently had illicit affairs with Zhiyuan, a Taoist monk from Yaoguang Temple in Jingzhou, as well as He Hui and Ji Jijiang.
Ji Jijiang remarked with emotion, "I never expected that even though Lady Xu is getting on in years, she still retains such charm and is so alluring."
Xiao Yi, unable to tolerate it any longer, ordered her to commit suicide.
Idioms Related to 半老徐娘
Antonyms of 半老徐娘
More idioms starting with 半
- bàn半sān三bù不sì四absent-minded and dispirited
- bàn半shàng上bàn半xià下undecided between two choices
- bàn半shàng上luò落xià下leave things unfinished
- bàn半sī丝bàn半lǚ缕a tiny bit
- bàn半mǔ亩fāng方táng塘A small, confined area
- bàn半dī低bù不gāo高of medium height or level
- bàn半xìn信bù不xìn信half-believing, half-doubting
- bàn半xìn信bàn半yí疑half-believing and half-doubting
- bàn半bàn半lā拉lā拉incomplete or half-done
- bàn半bàn半lù路lù路halfway through a task
- bàn半diào吊zi子a dabbler; not proficient in a skill
- bàn半tǔ吐bàn半lù露speak evasively or ambiguously
Questions about 半老徐娘
- What does 半老徐娘 mean?
- 半老徐娘 (bàn lǎo xú niáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a middle-aged woman who, despite her age, still possesses considerable charm and attractiveness; a woman past her youth but still alluring”.
- How do you pronounce 半老徐娘?
- 半老徐娘 is pronounced bàn lǎo xú niáng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 半老徐娘 literally mean?
- Literally, 半老徐娘 means “Half-aged Lady Xu”. It is used to mean “a middle-aged woman who, despite her age, still possesses considerable charm and attractiveness; a woman past her youth but still alluring”.
- Where does 半老徐娘 come from?
- 半老徐娘 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 半老徐娘?
- 徐娘：梁元帝妃徐氏，泛指妇女。指尚有风韵的中年妇女