Chinese Idiom: 绰约多姿 (Graceful and charming)
English Translation: Graceful and charming
pīn yīn: chuò yuē duō zī
Idiom Meaning: Describes a woman’s graceful and beautiful
Historical Source: From Bai Juyi’s poem 长恨歌 (Song of Everlasting Regret) during the Tang Dynasty.
Idiom Story:
The Song of Everlasting Regret is a famous narrative poem by Bai Juyi that tells the tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan (also known as Yang Guifei). In the fourth section of the poem, Bai Juyi describes the efforts to find Yang Guifei’s spirit through mythological means. This part focuses on three main aspects: first, to relieve Emperor Xuanzong’s endless yearning, the Taoist priests were asked to search for Yang Guifei’s soul; second, the search process which involved searching both heaven and earth; and third, the description of Yang Guifei’s appearance when seen by the Taoist priests.
The relevant excerpt from the poem reads:
临邛道士鸿都客，能以精诚致魂魄。
为感君王展转思，遂教方士殷勤觅。
排空驭气奔如电，开天入地求之遍。
上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。
忽闻海上有仙山，山在虚无缥缈间。
楼阁玲珑五云起，其中绰约多仙子。
中有一人字太真，雪肤花貌参差是。
In English, this translates to:
A Taoist priest from Linqiong, a guest from Hongdu, claimed that with sincerity, he could summon spirits. To ease the emperor’s restless yearning, he instructed the priest to search diligently. The priest, soaring through the air like lightning, searched everywhere in heaven and earth but could not find her. Just as hope seemed lost, he heard of a celestial mountain in the sea, surrounded by illusory clouds. There, among the delicate pavilions, many beautiful fairies lived. Among them was one named Taizhen, whose snow-like skin and flower-like beauty were a close match to her.
The phrase “楼阁玲珑五云起，其中绰约多仙子” (The delicate pavilions rise among the five clouds, with many graceful fairies inside) was later generalized into the idiom “绰约多姿,” used to describe someone who is elegant and attractive, particularly women.
