Full of tender and gentle affection, often subtly conveyed through looks or actions.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Southern Song Dynasty, when Xin Qiji, the Deputy Transport Commissioner of Hubei, was transferred to become the Deputy Transport Commissioner of Hunan, his successor Wang Zhengzhi prepared a farewell banquet for him.
Xin Qiji, filled with profound emotion, composed the ci poem "Mo Yu'er" (Fishing on the Sand).
In the poem, he wrote: "Long Gate's affairs, a good time is missed again, beauty was once envied. Though a thousand pieces of gold buy Sima Xiangru's rhapsody, is this tender affection hard to express? Sir, do not dance. Have you not seen, Yang Guifei and Zhao Feiyan have all turned to dust."
The line "脉脉此情难诉" (this tender affection is hard to express) captures a deep, unspoken sentiment, which contributed to the evolution of "脉脉" to describe a subtle and profound expression of feelings, especially warm affection, leading to the idiom "温情脉脉".