📖 Meaning
Refers to streets and alleys where brothels are concentrated, essentially a red-light district. In classical Chinese, 'flower' and 'willow' serve as poetic metaphors for courtesans and prostitutes, so the phrase describes areas of vice and entertainment.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty anonymous play 'The Peddler's Ballad' (《货郎旦》), in its fourth act. The text describes a scholar surnamed Li who never leaves the brothel districts, indulging in wine and lust while drawn to women with willow-shaped eyebrows, starry eyes, and apricot-blossom cheeks. The phrase was later widely used in classical vernacular novels such as 'Water Margin' (《水浒传》) to denote pleasure quarters.
💡 Example Usage
他自幼流连花街柳陌，终将家产挥霍一空。
He spent his youth loitering in the brothel districts and ultimately squandered the entire family fortune.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 花街柳陌
- Pinyin: huā jiē liǔ mò
- Literal Translation: flower street, willow path
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4