📖 Meaning
Witty or amusing remarks that make people smile or laugh out loud. It describes speech so clever and humorous that listeners cannot help but break into a grin.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Book of Han (汉书), in the biography of Kuang Heng (匡衡), a renowned scholar of the Western Han dynasty. The text notes that when Kuang expounded on the Classic of Poetry, he could make people laugh heartily. The Tang scholar Yan Shigu (颜师古), in his annotations, quoted Ru Chun (如淳) as explaining that Kuang's interpretations were so delightful they left listeners unable to stop laughing. Over time, '解颐' came to refer to anything that brings a joyful smile.
💡 Example Usage
老先生讲起笑话来妙语解颐，满座宾客无不捧腹。
The old gentleman's jokes were so witty that everyone in the room broke into laughter.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 妙语解颐
- Pinyin: miào yǔ jiě yí
- Literal Translation: clever, words, loosen, cheeks
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4