📖 Meaning
Literally 'red pillars and carved rafters.' It describes buildings that are exquisitely crafted and lavishly decorated, with pillars painted red and rafters engraved with ornamental patterns. The idiom conveys a sense of architectural splendor and extravagance.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), a classical chronicle of the Spring and Autumn period. In the 23rd year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, the duke had the pillars of the Huan Temple painted red, and the following year he had the rafters carved with decorative patterns. Both acts were recorded as violations of ritual propriety (非礼), because such lavish ornamentation exceeded the decorations permitted for a state of Lu's rank under Zhou ritual codes. The phrase thus originally carried a critical tone about extravagance beyond one's station, though it later came to be used neutrally to describe magnificent architecture.
💡 Example Usage
宫殿丹楹刻桷，金碧辉煌，令人叹为观止。
The palace, with its red pillars and carved rafters shining in gold, was a breathtaking sight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 丹楹刻桷
- Pinyin: dān yíng kè jué
- Literal Translation: red, pillar, carve, rafter
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4