📖 Meaning
Describes a well-matched couple where the man is talented and gifted, while the woman is beautiful and graceful. It is a variant of the more common idiom 郎才女貌 (láng cái nǚ mào), carrying the same essential meaning of an ideal romantic pairing.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming dynasty play "红拂记" (The Story of the Red Whisk) by the dramatist Zhang Fengyi (张凤翼), specifically in the scene "掷家图国" (Abandoning Home for the Country). The original line reads: "为郎才女姿，非是云邀雨期，这情踪傍人怎知？" which expresses that the couple's bond is founded on genuine compatibility of talent and beauty, not merely a fleeting romantic tryst that outsiders could easily understand. Zhang Fengyi was a prominent playwright of the late Ming period, and this phrase reflects the era's literary ideal of matching a gifted scholar with a graceful beauty.
💡 Example Usage
这对新人郎才女姿，宾客们纷纷赞叹。
The newlyweds are a perfect match of talent and beauty, and the guests all praised them in admiration.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 郎才女姿
- Pinyin: láng cái nǚ zī
- Literal Translation: groom talent, bride beauty
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4