柳暗花明

liǔ àn huā míng

  • Meaning

    Literal

    The willow trees make the shade, the flowers give the light (taken from CC-CEDICT)

    Usage

    To experience a positive turn of events when one is in the middle of a crisis or struggle. Also can describe beautiful scenery

  • Connotation

    Positive

  • Usage Examples

    None

  • Equivalents

    English

    Light at the end of the tunnel

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《早朝》(Zǎo Cháo) by Táng Dynasty (唐, 618 - 907) poet 王维 (Wáng Wéi)

  • Story

    陆游 (Lù Yóu) was a great poet from the Southern Sòng Dynasty (南宋, 1127 - 1279). He was successful enough to become a government official, but his opponents in court repeatedly told the emperor that he spent all day slacking on the job and writing poetry, and he was eventually dismissed.

    After his dismissal, a furious 陆游 returned home. A few years later, he traveled to Shānxī Province (山西) to visit a friend. When his friend and his friend's neighbors heard that 陆游 had arrived, they all warmly received him by throwing a large banquet. The poet was deeply moved by this, especially considering the genuine display of warmth was so different than the airs of the politicians that he'd been dealing with in his career.

    Later, 陆游 wrote the poem《游山西村》(Yóu Shān Xī Cūn) to commemorate his experience. The chengyu 柳暗花明 was part of the poem.

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
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    • 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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