得心应手 — “What the mind conceives, the hand achieves; heart gets, hand responds”
得心应手 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be highly skilled or proficient at something, performing tasks with ease and precision as if one's hands effortlessly execute one's thoughts; to handle something deftly”. Literally, “What the mind conceives, the hand achieves; heart gets, hand responds”.
得心应手 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 得dé
- 心xīn
- 应yìng
- 手shǒu
得心应手 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 得心应手
Origin and Story of 得心应手
In ancient times, when Pao Ba played the qin (a zither-like instrument), birds would dance to the music, and fish would leap out of the water to listen. Shi Wen, from the State of Zheng, heard of this and went to become a student of Master Xiang to learn the qin.
After studying for three years, Shi Wen could only touch the strings with his fingers but couldn't play a complete tune. Master Xiang reluctantly said, "You can go home now."
Shi Wen dropped his qin and sighed, "It's not that I don't know the finger techniques, nor that I can't play a complete tune. It's because my heart isn't truly in the qin, and there's no music in my heart. Since my inner self cannot find the feeling of music, my fingers cannot coordinate with the strings. Please give me more time to find that musical feeling."
Before long, Shi Wen returned to see Master Xiang. Master Xiang asked, "How is your qin practice?" Shi Wen replied, "I have found the feeling of music. Please listen to me play a piece."
When he struck the 'shang' string and played the 'nanlü' tune in spring, a cold wind suddenly arose, and all the plants bore fruit. When he struck the 'jue' string and played the 'jiazhong' tune in autumn, a gentle breeze softly blew, and flowers and trees bloomed and sprouted.
When he struck the 'yu' string and played the 'huangzhong' tune in summer, frost and snow fell together, and the rivers and ponds froze. When he struck the 'zhi' string and played the 'ruibin' tune in winter, the sunlight became scorching hot, and thick ice instantly melted.
As the piece neared its end, he played the 'gong' string as the main one, together with the other four strings. At this point, a harmonious wind blew, auspicious clouds drifted in the sky, sweet dew fell, and clear springs gushed from the ground.
Master Xiang put his hand over his heart and jumped with joy, exclaiming, "Your playing is truly marvelous! Even Shi Kuang's 'qingjue' or Zou Yan's 'blowing lü' cannot compare to you. I should now take up my qin and pipes and learn from you!"
Idioms Related to 得心应手
Synonyms of 得心应手
Antonyms of 得心应手
More idioms starting with 得
- dé得yī一wàng望shí十insatiably greedy and never satisfied
- dé得yī一zhī知jǐ己，，sǐ死kě可wú无hèn恨To find a soulmate, die without regret
- dé得bù不cháng偿sàng丧losses outweigh gains
- dé得bù不cháng偿shī失the losses outweigh the gains
- dé得bù不bǔ补shī失gains do not offset losses
- dé得bù不chóu酬shī失gains do not compensate for losses
- dé得yú于xīn心yīng应yú于shǒu手mastery of mind and hand
- dé得rén人sǐ死lì力win people's utmost loyalty and effort
- dé得rén人zhě者chāng昌，，shī失rén人zhě者wáng亡Gain support, thrive; lose support, perish
- dé得rén人qián钱cái财，，yǔ与rén人xiāo消zāi灾take money, avert disaster
- dé得xiū休biàn便xiū休know when to stop
- dé得pián便yi宜mài卖guāi乖gain advantage and then act smug
Questions about 得心应手
- What does 得心应手 mean?
- 得心应手 (dé xīn yìng shǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be highly skilled or proficient at something, performing tasks with ease and precision as if one's hands effortlessly execute one's thoughts; to handle something deftly”.
- How do you pronounce 得心应手?
- 得心应手 is pronounced dé xīn yìng shǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 得心应手 literally mean?
- Literally, 得心应手 means “What the mind conceives, the hand achieves; heart gets, hand responds”. It is used to mean “to be highly skilled or proficient at something, performing tasks with ease and precision as if one's hands effortlessly execute one's thoughts; to handle something deftly”.
- Where does 得心应手 come from?
- 得心应手 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 得心应手?
- 得：得到，想到；应：反应，配合。心里怎么想，手就能怎么做。比喻技艺纯熟或做事情非常顺利。