📖 Meaning
Eyes shaped long and flat like a river, and a mouth large and deep like the sea. Used to describe someone with an extraordinary, distinguished appearance. Originally applied to Confucius, it denotes a remarkable countenance befitting a great personage.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws from two classical sources. In 'Kongzi Jiayu' (Family Sayings of Confucius), when Confucius traveled to the state of Zheng and was separated from his disciples, a bystander described him to Zigong as a man of nine chi and six cun tall with 'river eyes and a prominent forehead.' The Han-era apocryphal text 'Xiaojing Yuan Shenqi' further states that Confucius had a 'sea mouth containing moisture.' These two descriptions were later combined into the four-character idiom '河目海口,' originally depicting Confucius's extraordinary physical appearance and subsequently used to describe anyone with a remarkable, noble countenance.
💡 Example Usage
这位将军河目海口，相貌非凡，一看便知是英雄人物。
This general has river-like eyes and a sea-like mouth—an extraordinary appearance that immediately marks him as a heroic figure.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 河目海口
- Pinyin: hé mù hǎi kǒu
- Literal Translation: river, eye, sea, mouth
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4