沉鱼落雁 — “Describing a woman of breathtaking beauty”
沉鱼落雁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing a woman of breathtaking beauty”. So captivating that fish would sink to the bottom upon seeing her, and geese would fall from the sky. Literally, “sinking fish and falling geese”.
沉鱼落雁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 沉chén
- 鱼yú
- 落luò
- 雁yàn
沉鱼落雁 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 沉鱼落雁
Origin and Story of 沉鱼落雁
During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a beautiful woman named Xi Shi. She would wash silk by the stream every day. When the fish in the stream saw Xi Shi, they felt so ashamed of their own appearance compared to hers that they dared not float to the surface and all sank to the bottom.
During the Han Dynasty, there was also a beautiful woman named Wang Zhaojun. When she was on her way to marry a foreign king, the flying geese in the sky saw how beautiful Wang Zhaojun was. They were so astonished that they forgot how to fly and all fell into the forest.
Later, when praising a woman for her exceptional beauty, people would say she possessed the charm of 'sinking fish and falling geese' (沉鱼落雁).
Idioms Related to 沉鱼落雁
Synonyms of 沉鱼落雁
More idioms starting with 沉
- chén沉bù不zhù住qì气unable to keep one's composure
- chén沉yuān冤mò莫bái白deep injustice remains unredressed
- chén沉yuān冤mò莫xuě雪grievous injustice that cannot be redressed
- chén沉jǐ几guān观biàn变Calmly observe subtle changes
- chén沉bó博jué绝lì丽profound, vast, and exquisite writing
- chén沉hòu厚guǎ寡yán言Profound and taciturn
- chén沉yín吟bù不jué决Ponder deeply, hesitate, unable to decide
- chén沉yín吟bù不yǔ语pondering in silence
- chén沉yín吟wèi未jué决Ponder and hesitate, unable to decide
- chén沉yín吟zhāng章jù句Pondering literary works
- chén沉shēng声jìng静qì气speaking in a low, calm voice
- chén沉mì密guǎ寡yán言quiet and reserved
Questions about 沉鱼落雁
- What does 沉鱼落雁 mean?
- 沉鱼落雁 (chén yú luò yàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing a woman of breathtaking beauty”.
- How do you pronounce 沉鱼落雁?
- 沉鱼落雁 is pronounced chén yú luò yàn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 沉鱼落雁 literally mean?
- Literally, 沉鱼落雁 means “sinking fish and falling geese”. It is used to mean “describing a woman of breathtaking beauty”.
- Where does 沉鱼落雁 come from?
- 沉鱼落雁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 沉鱼落雁?
- 鱼见之沉入水底，雁见之降落沙洲。形容女子容貌美丽。