📖 Meaning
To see through someone's deceitful schemes with penetrating clarity. It describes a person who is keenly perceptive and can discern hidden malicious intentions behind others' words or actions.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Biography of Dong Chuance' in the official History of the Ming Dynasty (《明史·董传策传》). Dong Chuance was a Ming Dynasty official who submitted a memorial to the emperor denouncing the corrupt Grand Secretary Yan Song (严嵩). In his memorial, he wrote that Yan Song's accumulated evil deeds were harming the country, and questioned, 'How could Your Majesty not see through his treachery?' (陛下岂不洞烛其奸). The phrase has since been used to describe someone with sharp insight into others' hidden malice.
💡 Example Usage
他一眼就洞烛其奸，当场揭穿了对方的骗局。
He saw through their treachery at a glance and exposed the scam on the spot.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 洞烛其奸
- Pinyin: dòng zhú qí jiān
- Literal Translation: thoroughly illuminate its treachery
- Category: Clarity
- Characters: 4