📖 Meaning
A vivid description of drinking and socializing at a banquet, where guests pass cups of wine to one another. It conveys a lively and convivial atmosphere of feasting and merrymaking.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming dynasty novel 'Jin Ping Mei Cihua' (金瓶梅词话) by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng, where it describes a lively banquet scene with guests seated on both sides passing wine cups among themselves. The imagery evokes a festive gathering filled with flowers and brocade-like splendor. Later writers such as Qiu Jin in the Qing dynasty also employed it to depict banquet scenes.
💡 Example Usage
众人在席间传杯弄盏，好不热闹。
The guests passed cups and clinked goblets at the banquet, enjoying a lively and joyous time.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 传杯弄盏
- Pinyin: chuán bēi nòng zhǎn
- Literal Translation: pass, cup, play with, goblet
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4