栩栩如生 — “Describing an artistic image”
栩栩如生 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing an artistic image”. Sculpture, or depiction that is extremely vivid and realistic, appearing as if alive. Literally, “vivid and lifelike as if alive”.
Frequency
栩栩如生 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 栩xǔ
- 栩xǔ
- 如rú
- 生shēng
栩栩如生 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 栩栩如生
这位艺术家的雕塑作品栩栩如生，仿佛随时都会动起来。
The sculptor's works are so lifelike that they seem as if they could move at any moment.
Origin and Story of 栩栩如生
In ancient China, the philosopher Zhuangzi once wrote in his work: 'Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a vivid and lifelike butterfly, feeling content and forgetting his true self!' This story illustrates how Zhuang Zhou, in his dream, transformed into a beautiful butterfly that was so real and animated, fluttering in the air with such delight, that he completely forgot he was a human named Zhuang Zhou.
Idioms Related to 栩栩如生
Synonyms of 栩栩如生
Antonyms of 栩栩如生
More idioms starting with 栩
Questions about 栩栩如生
- What does 栩栩如生 mean?
- 栩栩如生 (xǔ xǔ rú shēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing an artistic image”.
- How do you pronounce 栩栩如生?
- 栩栩如生 is pronounced xǔ xǔ rú shēng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 栩栩如生 literally mean?
- Literally, 栩栩如生 means “vivid and lifelike as if alive”. It is used to mean “describing an artistic image”.
- Where does 栩栩如生 come from?
- 栩栩如生 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 栩栩如生?
- 栩栩：活泼生动的样子。指艺术形象非常逼真，如同活的一样。