📖 Meaning
Literally 'striking jade and knocking ice,' this idiom describes a sound that is rhythmic, resonant, and delightfully clear to the ear. It is most often applied to singing, recitation, or music whose tone is crisp and musical. Figuratively, it can also characterize a person of upright and awe-inspiring moral integrity.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's work 'Listening to Tian Shun'er Sing' (《听田顺儿歌》), where he wrote the line '戛玉敲冰声未停，嫌云不遏入青冥' ('The sound of striking jade and knocking ice does not cease; one might complain the clouds do not halt its passage into the blue heavens'). Bai Juyi uses the imagery of percussion on jade and ice to evoke the crisp, luminous quality of the singer Tian Shun'er's voice. The poem praises how her singing carried beautifully through the air, as if piercing the clouds.
💡 Example Usage
她的歌声戛玉敲冰，令在场听众沉醉其中。
Her singing voice was as crisp and resonant as striking jade and tapping ice, leaving the audience utterly mesmerized.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 戛玉敲冰
- Pinyin: jiá yù qiāo bīng
- Literal Translation: strike jade, knock ice
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4