📖 Meaning
An enormous, awe-inspiring object or creature. It describes something of massive size that can appear imposing or intimidating, sometimes with the implication that its great size may belie actual strength or capability.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from Tang dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan's fable '三戒' (Three Admonitions), specifically the story '黔之驴' (The Donkey of Guizhou). A donkey from elsewhere is brought to Guizhou province, where a tiger has never seen one before. The tiger observes this 庞然大物 from a distance, initially terrified by its enormous size and loud braying, but eventually discovers the donkey has no real fighting skills and devours it. The phrase has since been used to describe anything of great size.
💡 Example Usage
那头大象站在草原上，真是一个庞然大物，让人望而生畏。
The elephant standing on the grassland was a truly massive creature, inspiring awe and fear at the sight of it.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 庞然大物
- Pinyin: páng rán dà wù
- Literal Translation: huge, majestic, big, thing
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4