出神入化 — “To reach the acme of perfection”

出神入化 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to reach the acme of perfection”. To achieve superb mastery or artistry, often describing skills in arts or literature as being unbelievably exquisite or divine. Literally, “Out of the spiritual, into the miraculous”.

Frequency

出神入化 Pronunciation and Pinyin

出神入化 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
出	chū	5	go or come out
神	shén	10	deity, spirit, mind, amazing
入	rù	2	to enter
化	huà	4	change, transform, convert

Example Sentence with 出神入化

这位芭蕾舞演员的表演技艺出神入化，每一个动作都充满了美感与力量。

The ballet dancer's performance skills were superb and breathtaking, with every movement full of beauty and power.

Origin and Story of 出神入化

The idiom '出神入化' (chū shén rù huà) comes from a commentary by the Ming Dynasty literary critic Jin Shengtan. It refers to the story of Zhang Junrui and Cui Yingying, who fell in love at first sight.

When the bandit Sun Feihu besieged the Pujiu Temple to abduct Yingying, Mrs. Cui promised to marry her daughter to anyone who could repel the bandits. Zhang Junrui called upon his old friend Du Que, who successfully lifted the siege.

Mrs. Cui prepared a banquet to express her gratitude and asked Hongniang to invite Zhang Junrui.

Jin Shengtan, in his commentary on Wang Shifu's 'The Story of the Western Wing,' praised Wang Shifu's depiction of Zhang Junrui's feelings as '出神入化,' meaning it reached an extraordinarily high and masterly level of artistic expression, capturing the subtle emotions perfectly, as if entering a divine realm.