📖 Meaning
Literally describing the back-and-forth movement of needle and thread in sewing. It refers to needlework and sewing tasks. It is commonly used to describe a person's skill (or lack of skill) at hand-sewing.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Qing dynasty novel "儿女英雄传" (Tales of Heroic Sons and Daughters) by 文康 (Wen Kang). In Chapter 8, a character declares that although she has lived nineteen years, she knows nothing of 横针竖线 — not even which end to start from when asked to sew a button loop. The line is spoken in a self-deprecating, humorous tone to confess her complete ignorance of needlework.
💡 Example Usage
她自幼跟着母亲学做针线，横针竖线样样在行。
She learned needlework from her mother as a child, and is skilled at every kind of sewing.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 横针竖线
- Pinyin: héng zhēn shù xiàn
- Literal Translation: horizontal needle, vertical thread
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4