📖 Meaning
Describes a woman with a slender, supple waist like those prized in the ancient Chu state, and a neck as white and smooth as a qiqiao (wood-boring beetle larva). It is a classical poetic phrase celebrating feminine physical beauty and grace.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a lyric poem titled 'Yu Meiren' (The Beautiful Lady Yu) by Yan Xuan, a poet of the Later Shu dynasty during the Five Dynasties period. The original line reads: 'Chu waist, qiqiao neck, round fragrant jade; hair layered in deep deep green.' The 'Chu waist' alludes to the historical preference for slender waists in the court of King Ling of Chu, while 'qiqiao neck' draws on the ancient Book of Odes, where a beauty's neck was likened to the plump white larva of the qiqiao beetle.
💡 Example Usage
画中女子楚腰蛴领，风姿绰约，令人一见倾心。
The woman in the painting, with her slender Chu waist and lily-white neck, possessed an enchanting grace that captivated at first sight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 楚腰蛴领
- Pinyin: chǔ yāo qí lǐng
- Literal Translation: Chu waist, qiqiao-larva neck
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4