📖 Meaning
To convey feeling and provoke amusement; the art of expressing affection and creating playful delight in social or romantic interaction. It often describes entertainers or charmers skilled at stirring emotion and capturing interest through wit, gesture, or performance.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu's (汤显祖) work 'The Tale of Handan' (《邯郸记》), in the chapter titled 'Extreme Desire' (极欲). The original passage describes courtesans of the imperial music academy (教坊) who were trained in playing the zheng and pipa, dancing the 'Rainbow Skirt' (霓裳), and performing various songs and drum pieces. The phrase '标情夺趣' emphasizes that these women were masters at manifesting emotion and seizing delight, versed in every art of charm and entertainment.
💡 Example Usage
她善歌舞，于标情夺趣之道颇为精通。
She excels at singing and dancing, and is quite skilled in the art of conveying emotion and capturing delight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 标情夺趣
- Pinyin: biāo qíng duó qù
- Literal Translation: display, emotion, seize, delight
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4