📖 Meaning
Describes something that is so thorough, tight, and rigorous that not even a drop of water could slip through — utterly flawless with no gaps or loopholes. Originally used to praise martial-arts technique so impenetrable that an opponent could find no opening.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the classic novel 'Romance of Sui and Tang' (隋唐演义), Chapter 49, set in the Sui–Tang transition period. The warrior Luo Cheng watches the female fighter Xian Niang wield her square-heaven halberd (方天戟) with uncanny, unpredictable movements. Her technique is so tight and seamless that 'not a drop of water leaks through,' meaning no opponent could find any opening or flaw. From this martial-arts praise the expression broadened into a general metaphor for airtight thoroughness in any endeavor.
💡 Example Usage
这份合同的条款安排得点水不漏，没有任何可钻的空子。
The contract's clauses are arranged so airtight that there is no loophole left to exploit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 点水不漏
- Pinyin: diǎn shuǐ bù lòu
- Literal Translation: drop, water, not, leak
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4