📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to the carriages and horses of divine spirits or deities. It paints a vivid image of celestial vehicles riding through wind and clouds. The phrase is often used in literary contexts to describe a mystical, otherworldly scene.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a Tang Dynasty prayer text by the renowned scholar-official Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元). In his work 'Leitang Prayer for Rain' (《雷塘祷雨文》), he wrote '风马云车，肃焉徘徊' to invoke the solemn arrival of divine beings during a drought ritual. The imagery evokes spirits descending in wind-driven horses and cloud-borne carriages. Later poets such as Gong Zizhen of the Qing Dynasty also cited this phrase in their literary works.
💡 Example Usage
祭坛之上，仿佛风马云车隐隐而至，令人肃然起敬。
Above the altar, it was as if the celestial carriages of wind and clouds had faintly arrived, filling everyone with awe.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 风马云车
- Pinyin: fēng mǎ yún chē
- Literal Translation: wind, horse, cloud, carriage
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4