📖 Meaning
A metaphor for indirectly highlighting the main subject by rendering the surrounding elements. It originates from a traditional Chinese painting technique where clouds are painted around the moon to make the moon stand out. It is a variant of the more common form 烘云托月.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom derives from traditional Chinese landscape painting, where artists would surround the moon with clouds and washes of ink so that the moon's brightness emerged through contrast rather than direct depiction. This technique was later adopted by literary critics as a metaphor for indirect characterization and description in writing. The character 讬 is an archaic variant of 托, meaning to support or entrust. The phrase appears in classical Chinese literary criticism as a term for the technique of bringing a subject into prominence through its surroundings.
💡 Example Usage
这篇小说以烘云讬月的手法刻画主人公，令其形象更加鲜明。
The novella portrays its protagonist through indirect rendering, making the character's image all the more vivid.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 烘云讬月
- Pinyin: hōng yún zhì yuè
- Literal Translation: roast, cloud, entrust, moon
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4