📖 Meaning
Describes calligraphy or writing that is at once vigorous and fluent — forceful yet smooth. It praises work that combines depth and strength with ease and expressiveness. The term is used for brushwork, poetry, and prose alike.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Fa Shu Yao Lu' (Records of Calligraphy), which quotes 'Cai Gu Lai Neng Shu Ren Ming' (Names of Ancient Skilled Calligraphers) by Yang Xin of the Liu Song dynasty during the Southern Dynasties. Yang Xin recorded that Huang Xiang, a calligrapher from the state of Wu in the Three Kingdoms period, was famed for his cursive script. Contemporaries praised his brushwork as 'chen zhu tong kuai' — both forceful and fluent. The expression later broadened to describe any calligraphy or literary writing that is vigorous yet smooth.
💡 Example Usage
这幅草书笔力遒劲，沉著痛快，堪称佳作。
This cursive-script calligraphy has vigorous brushwork that is at once forceful and fluent — truly a masterpiece.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 沉著痛快
- Pinyin: chén zhù tòng kuài
- Literal Translation: deep, settled, keen, swift
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4