📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a young man whose bearing and manners are graceful, elegant, and unforced. It conveys an image of refined, carefree sophistication in a youth's deportment and conversation.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), in the biography of Lord Pingyuan and Yu Qing. Lord Pingyuan, whose name was Zhao Sheng, was a prominent noble of the Zhao state during the Warring States period. Sima Qian praised him as a graceful, outstanding young nobleman who stood apart even in a troubled and corrupt age. Over time, '翩翩少年' came to describe any refined, elegant young man of distinguished bearing.
💡 Example Usage
聚会上那位翩翩少年谈吐不凡，很快成为众人瞩目的焦点。
At the gathering, that elegant young man spoke with such refinement that he quickly became the center of attention.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 翩翩少年
- Pinyin: piān piān shào nián
- Literal Translation: elegant, elegant, young, person
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4