📖 Meaning
Literally refers to the direction and course of mountain ranges in feng shui. It is now used metaphorically to describe the entire sequence of cause and effect behind an event, or the full story from beginning to end. It emphasizes understanding the complete background and context of a matter.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Ming dynasty play 'Yun Pi Ji' (运甓记) by Wu Qiurui, in a scene about selecting an auspicious burial site. In Chinese feng shui, '来龙' refers to the mountain range from which the terrain extends, and '去脉' refers to where it leads or terminates. A geomancer in the play identifies a good piece of land by examining its mountain ridges and their alignment. Over time, the phrase shifted from its literal geomantic sense to a common metaphor for tracing the cause and effect of any matter.
💡 Example Usage
他花了一整天调查这件事的来龙去脉，终于弄清了真相。
He spent the whole day investigating the ins and outs of the matter and finally uncovered the truth.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 来龙去脉
- Pinyin: lái lóng qù mài
- Literal Translation: come, dragon, go, pulse
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4