📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone with an extraordinary physique and bearing, comparing their bone structure to a phoenix and their posture to a dragon. It conveys a noble, striking appearance that suggests a person of exceptional refinement and spiritual elevation. The phrase is typically used to praise someone's regal or immortal-like demeanor.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Daoist text 'Yunji Qiqian' (云笈七签), a Song dynasty compilation by Zhang Junfang, which is an encyclopedia of Daoist scriptures. In the passage, a celestial being observes a worthy person and remarks that their essence is brilliantly radiant and luminous, with a phoenix-like bone structure and dragon-like posture, and a glowing mind. The imagery draws on the phoenix and dragon—two of the most auspicious creatures in Chinese mythology—to convey an otherworldly, elevated quality of body and spirit.
💡 Example Usage
这位少年生来凤骨龙姿，众人皆言日后必成大器。
The youth was born with the bearing of a phoenix and the posture of a dragon; everyone said he would achieve greatness in the future.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 凤骨龙姿
- Pinyin: fèng gǔ lóng zī
- Literal Translation: phoenix, bone, dragon, posture
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4