成语故事：画龙点睛 Idiom Story: Dotting the Dragon's Eyes

一千yìqiān五百wǔbǎi多duō年nián前qián，有yǒu一yí个ge很hěn有名yǒumíng的de画家huàjiā，叫jiào张僧繇Zhāng Sēngyáo。

More than 1,500 years ago there was a very famous painter named Zhang Sengyao.

有yǒu一yí次cì，他tā在zài一yí座zuò寺庙sìmiào的de墙qiáng上shang画huà了le四sì条tiáo龙lóng，这些zhèxiē龙lóng画huà得de跟gēn真zhēn的de一样yíyàng，可是kěshì都dōu没有méiyǒu眼睛yǎnjing。

Once he painted four dragons on the wall of a temple; they looked just like real ones, but none of them had eyes.

来lái看kàn画huà的de人rén都dōu觉得juéde很hěn奇怪qíguài，问wèn他tā：“你nǐ为什么wèishénme不bù给gěi龙lóng画huà上shang眼睛yǎnjing呢ne？”

Everyone who came to see the painting found this strange and asked him: "Why don't you paint eyes on the dragons?"

他tā回答huídá：“眼睛yǎnjing可kě不bù能néng随便suíbiàn画huà，如果rúguǒ画huà上shang了le，龙lóng就jiù会huì飞fēi走zǒu的de。”

He answered: "Eyes are not something to paint lightly — if I paint them in, the dragons will fly away."

大家dàjiā都dōu以为yǐwéi他tā在zài开玩笑kāi wánxiào，一定yídìng要yào他tā画huà，他tā只好zhǐhǎo拿ná起qǐ笔bǐ，给gěi其中qízhōng两liǎng条tiáo龙lóng点diǎn上shang了le眼睛yǎnjing。

Everyone thought he was joking and insisted that he paint them, so he had no choice but to pick up his brush and dot in the eyes of two of the dragons.

刚gāng点diǎn完wán，外面wàimiàn突然tūrán刮guā起qǐ了le大dà风fēng，下xià起qǐ了le大雨dàyǔ，那nà两liǎng条tiáo龙lóng从cóng墙qiáng上shang飞fēi了le起来qǐlai，一直yìzhí飞fēi到dào了le天上tiānshàng。

He had only just finished when a strong wind suddenly rose outside and heavy rain began to fall; the two dragons flew up off the wall and all the way into the sky.

墙qiáng上shang只zhǐ剩shèng下xia了le另外lìngwài两liǎng条tiáo没有méiyǒu眼睛yǎnjing的de龙lóng。

All that was left on the wall were the other two dragons, the ones without eyes.

现在xiànzài，人们rénmen用yòng“画龙点睛huà lóng diǎn jīng”来lái说shuō：在zài最zuì重要zhòngyào的de地方dìfang加jiā上shang一两yì liǎng句jù话huà，能néng让ràng整zhěng篇piān文章wénzhāng一下子yíxiàzi活huó起来qǐlai。

Nowadays people use 画龙点睛 to say that adding a line or two in the most important place can suddenly bring a whole piece of writing to life.

我wǒ姐姐jiějie给gěi咖啡店kāfēidiàn写xiě了le一yí个ge广告guǎnggào，读dú起来qǐlai很hěn普通pǔtōng，经理jīnglǐ只zhǐ在zài最zuì上面shàngmiàn加jiā了le一yí句jù“一yì杯bēi咖啡kāfēi，一yí个ge好hǎo早上zǎoshang”，第二天dì-èr tiān店diàn里li的de客人kèrén就jiù多duō了le一yí倍bèi。

My sister wrote an ad for a coffee shop that read as very ordinary; the manager just added one line at the very top — "One cup of coffee, one good morning" — and the next day the shop had twice as many customers.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

画龙点睛huà lóng diǎn jīngto paint a dragon and dot in its eyes (to add the finishing touch that brings something to life)

画家huàjiāpainter; artist

寺庙sìmiàotemple

墙qiángwall

龙lóngdragon

点diǎnto dot; to put a dot on

Grammar note 语法点

跟……一样

"The same as; just like"; can follow 得 to describe how something is done: 这些龙画得跟真的一样。

他的中文说得跟中国人一样好。 — He speaks Chinese as well as a Chinese person.

V + 起（来）

起来 after a verb can mean "to start to"; an object goes between 起 and 来 or replaces 来: 刮起了大风，下起了大雨 / 龙从墙上飞了起来。

孩子们一看见雪，就在外面玩了起来。 — As soon as the children saw the snow, they started playing outside.

只好

"To have no choice but to" — the only option left: 他只好拿起笔，给其中两条龙点上了眼睛。

最后一班车已经走了，我们只好打车回家。 — The last bus had already gone, so we had to take a taxi home.

Check yourself 小测验

1. What was missing from the four dragons the painter drew?

2. Why did the painter finally paint in the eyes?

3. In the modern example, what made the ad work so much better?

成语故事：画龙点睛Chéngyǔ gùshi: Huà lóng diǎn jīngIdiom Story: Dotting the Dragon's Eyes

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

More HSK 4 reading practice