📖 Meaning
Describes a face that is round, fair, and luminous like a full moon. It portrays a complexion that is bright, plump, and radiant with vitality, often used to depict a healthy and dignified appearance.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Dunhuang Bianwen (敦煌变文集), a collection of popular narrative texts from the Tang and Five Dynasties period used by Buddhist monks to preach sutras to lay audiences. Specifically, it appears in the Vimalakirti Sutra Lecture Text (维摩诘经讲经文), which describes the appearance of the lay Buddhist Vimalakirti: 'His face is like a full moon, his eyes like blue lotuses.' The full moon serves as a metaphor for a radiant, serene, and dignified countenance.
💡 Example Usage
这位少女面如满月，眉目清秀，令人一见倾心。
This young girl had a face as round and bright as the full moon, with delicate features that captivated all who saw her.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 面如满月
- Pinyin: miàn rú mǎn yuè
- Literal Translation: face, like, full, moon
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4