天衣无缝

tiān yī wú fèng

  • Meaning

    Literal

    Seamless heavenly clothing

    Usage

    Indicates that something is absolutely perfect; without even a single flaw

  • Connotation

    Positive

  • Usage Examples

    小明说谎天衣无缝,就连妈妈也识不破 | Xiǎo Míng shuōhuǎng tiānyīwúfèng, jiù lián māmā yě shì bù pò
    Xiao Ming tells lies so flawlessly that even his mother can't see through them
    [Source]

    这幅画修补得天衣无缝 | Zhè fú huà xiūbǔ de tiānyīwúfèng
    This painting was repaired perfectly
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    The immortal in this story is 织女 (Zhī Nǚ), famous for being forced to live apart from her romantic partner. You can read about her story in the entry for the chengyu 牛郎织女

  • Origin

    《灵怪录》(Líng Guài Lù), a work by 牛峤 (Niú Jiào) of the 前蜀 (Qián Shǔ, 907 - 925 | Former Shu, or one of the ten kingdoms formed during the 五代十国 (wǔ dài shí guó | Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period))

  • Story

    A long time ago there lived a man named 郭翰 (Guō Hàn). One particularly hot summer day, 郭翰 was cooling off in the shade of his courtyard when he saw a young lady float gracefully down from the heavens and land before him.

    Dumbfounded, he realized that the lady was an immortal, and he couldn't help but stare. He soon noticed that the clothing she was wearing was flawless -- so flawless that he couldn't detect evidence of a single thread, stitch, or seam.

    "How can it be that your clothing has no seams?" asked 郭翰.

    The immortal replied, "I am wearing heavenly clothing, and heavenly clothing is not made with threads and needles. How could it have seams?"

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
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    • 第一范文[x]
    • 七故事网[x]
    • 瑞文网[x]
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