📖 Meaning
A legendary Daoist magic of turning stone into gold with a touch of the finger. Metaphorically, it describes a remarkable skill or technique that transforms something ordinary and worthless into something precious and valuable.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Ming dynasty writer Feng Menglong's story collection 'Jingshi Tongyan' (警世通言), specifically the tale 'Lü Dalang Returns Gold to Reunite His Family'. It references Lü Chunyang (Lü Dongbin), one of the Eight Immortals in Daoist tradition, who was reputedly able to transform stone into gold with a touch of his finger. The expression draws on this folk belief to symbolize miraculous transformation and supernatural mastery.
💡 Example Usage
这位老匠人的手艺堪称点石为金，普通的木料在他手中都能变成精美的艺术品。
The old craftsman's skill is like turning stone into gold; even ordinary wood becomes a fine work of art in his hands.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 点石为金
- Pinyin: diǎn shí wéi jīn
- Literal Translation: touch, stone, become, gold
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4