📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a beautiful young woman whose soul departs from her body out of overwhelming love. In classical Chinese literature, it refers to a maiden who pines away or even dies for love. The phrase evokes the legendary story of Qian Nü, whose spirit left her body to follow the man she loved.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from Wang Shifu's Yuan dynasty play Romance of the Western Chamber (《西厢记》), Act 3, Scene 2, where it appears alongside an allusion to the famously handsome Pan An. The term alludes to a Tang dynasty tale about a maiden named Qian Nü, whose soul left her body to follow her lover Wang Wenju. The expression thus pairs the image of a love-struck young woman with that of a desirable man.
💡 Example Usage
这部古装剧中的女主角堪称离魂倩女，为情所困令人动容。
The female lead in this period drama can be called a soul-departing beauty, tragically consumed by love and deeply moving.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 离魂倩女
- Pinyin: lí hún qiàn nǚ
- Literal Translation: leave, soul, beautiful, woman
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4