鸿爪雪泥 — “Swan's footprints on snow and mud”
鸿爪雪泥 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Traces or imprints left by past events or experiences, often transient and hard to recapture; fleeting reminders of what once was”. Literally, “Swan's footprints on snow and mud”.
鸿爪雪泥 Pronunciation and Pinyin
鸿爪雪泥 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 鸿爪雪泥
Origin and Story of 鸿爪雪泥
During the Song Dynasty, the renowned brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe once stayed at a monastery in Mianchi. They developed a good relationship with the abbot there and inscribed poems on the monastery walls.
Years later, Su Shi revisited the same place and wrote a profound poem titled 'Harmonizing with Ziyou's Mianchi Nostalgia'. In this poem, he expressed his contemplative thoughts on the transient nature of life with the lines: 'What is life like, wherever one goes? It should be like a flying swan stepping on snow and mud. Its footprints are accidentally left on the mud, but once the swan flies away, who can count its directions?'
The idiom '鸿爪雪泥' (hóng zhǎo xuě ní), literally meaning 'swan's footprints on snow and mud,' is derived from these famous verses. It metaphorically refers to the transient traces or imprints left by past events or people, which are often difficult to fully grasp or retrieve once gone.
Idioms Related to 鸿爪雪泥
More idioms starting with 鸿
- hóng鸿yè业yuǎn远tú图Grand undertaking and far-reaching vision
- hóng鸿chóu俦hè鹤lǚ侣distinguished and noble companions
- hóng鸿rú儒shuò硕xué学profoundly learned scholars
- hóng鸿rú儒shuò硕fǔ辅highly learned scholars and meritorious officials
- hóng鸿hán函jù钜dú椟vast collection of books
- hóng鸿shāng商fù富gǔ贾wealthy merchants and magnates
- hóng鸿tú图huá华gòu构Grand magnificent architecture
- hóng鸿jūn均zhī之shì世Era of great peace and equality
- hóng鸿duàn断yú鱼chén沉all communication cut off
- hóng鸿àn案xiāng相zhuāng庄loving and respectful marriage
- hóng鸿àn案lù鹿chē车respectful and considerate couple
- hóng鸿máo毛tài泰shān山Vast difference in importance
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Open the tool →Questions about 鸿爪雪泥
What does 鸿爪雪泥 mean?
鸿爪雪泥 (hóng zhǎo xuě ní) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Traces or imprints left by past events or experiences, often transient and hard to recapture; fleeting reminders of what once was”.
How do you pronounce 鸿爪雪泥?
鸿爪雪泥 is pronounced hóng zhǎo xuě ní in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 鸿爪雪泥 literally mean?
Literally, 鸿爪雪泥 means “Swan's footprints on snow and mud”. It is used to mean “Traces or imprints left by past events or experiences, often transient and hard to recapture; fleeting reminders of what once was”.
Where does 鸿爪雪泥 come from?
鸿爪雪泥 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 鸿爪雪泥?
比喻往事留下的痕迹。