📖 Meaning
This idiom describes something depicted so vividly and lifelike that it feels as though one is seeing it with their own eyes. It is commonly used to praise someone's storytelling, description, or acting as extraordinarily realistic and convincing.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Volume 5 of 'Jingshi Tongyan' (Stories to Caution the World), a collection compiled by the Ming dynasty writer Feng Menglong. In the story, a wife named Wang initially doubts the news of her husband's death, but after her brother-in-law Lü Bao describes the events so vividly and convincingly, she is persuaded to believe it. The expression thus conveys how a vivid description can make something seem real and believable.
💡 Example Usage
他把那个骗子的模样说得活龙活现，让人一听就信了。
He described the swindler's appearance so vividly that everyone believed him immediately.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 活龙活现
- Pinyin: huó lóng huó xiàn
- Literal Translation: alive, dragon, alive, appear
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4