犀照牛渚 — “To have keen insight”
犀照牛渚 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have keen insight”. To perceive hidden truths or obscure matters. Literally, “Rhinoceros horn illuminates Niuzhu”.
犀照牛渚 Pronunciation and Pinyin
犀照牛渚 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 犀照牛渚
Origin and Story of 犀照牛渚
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wen Jiao arrived at Niuzhu Cliff.
Seeing that the water was unfathomably deep and rumored to contain many water monsters, Wen Jiao lit a rhinoceros horn to illuminate the depths.
He saw the water below light up brightly, revealing strange and grotesque monsters, some riding carriages and others dressed in red.
That night, Wen Jiao dreamt that a figure maliciously blamed him for shining the rhinoceros horn light.
The very next day, he suffered a stroke after having a tooth pulled due to a toothache, and died less than ten days after returning to town.
Idioms Related to 犀照牛渚
Synonyms of 犀照牛渚
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Open the tool →Questions about 犀照牛渚
What does 犀照牛渚 mean?
犀照牛渚 (xī zhào niú zhǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have keen insight”.
How do you pronounce 犀照牛渚?
犀照牛渚 is pronounced xī zhào niú zhǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 犀照牛渚 literally mean?
Literally, 犀照牛渚 means “Rhinoceros horn illuminates Niuzhu”. It is used to mean “to have keen insight”.
Where does 犀照牛渚 come from?
犀照牛渚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 犀照牛渚?
比喻洞察幽微。