画龙点睛 — “To add a crucial or brilliant touch that brings something to life”
画龙点睛 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to add a crucial or brilliant touch that brings something to life”. Highlights its essence, or makes it vivid and powerful. Literally, “Draw a dragon and dot its eyes”.
画龙点睛 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 画huà
- 龙lóng
- 点diǎn
- 睛jīng
画龙点睛 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 画龙点睛
Origin and Story of 画龙点睛
Zhang Sengyao was a renowned painter during the Liang Dynasty. One day, the emperor commanded him to paint dragons on the walls of Anle Temple in Jinling. Soon, two incredibly lifelike dragons graced the temple walls.
However, the emperor noticed that neither dragon had eyes and inquired about this. Zhang Sengyao replied, “If I add eyes, they will fly away.”
People found this hard to believe, and the emperor insisted he complete the eyes. Zhang Sengyao reluctantly dotted the eyes of one of the dragons.
Instantly, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and that dragon truly soared into the sky. The other two dragons, whose eyes remained undotted, stayed on the wall.
Idioms Related to 画龙点睛
Antonyms of 画龙点睛
More idioms starting with 画
- huà画yī一zhī之fǎ法a uniform law or policy
- huà画zhōng中yǒu有shī诗poetry in painting
- huà画luǎn卵diāo雕xīn薪indulge in extreme extravagance
- huà画tǔ土fēn分jiāng疆divide and demarcate territory
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢confine oneself to a designated scope
- huà画dì地wéi为láo牢，，yì议bù不rù入confined by fear, dare not overstep
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱restrict to a specified sphere
- huà画dì地wéi为yù狱，，shì势bù不rù入Tyrannical power creates insurmountable fear
- huà画dì地zuò作yù狱confine to a designated area
- huà画dì地kè刻mù木to be jailed and interrogated
- huà画dì地chéng成tú图demonstrate exceptional talent and skill
- huà画dì地chéng成láo牢Confine oneself to a limited scope
Questions about 画龙点睛
- What does 画龙点睛 mean?
- 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to add a crucial or brilliant touch that brings something to life”.
- How do you pronounce 画龙点睛?
- 画龙点睛 is pronounced huà lóng diǎn jīng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 画龙点睛 literally mean?
- Literally, 画龙点睛 means “Draw a dragon and dot its eyes”. It is used to mean “to add a crucial or brilliant touch that brings something to life”.
- Where does 画龙点睛 come from?
- 画龙点睛 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 画龙点睛?
- 原形容梁代画家张僧繇作画的神妙。后多比喻写文章或讲话时，在关键处用几句话点明实质，使内容生动有力。