📖 Meaning
This idiom metaphorically describes two parties that are evenly matched, each obtaining an equal share with no clear advantage on either side. It originally referred to the autumn equinox, when day and night are of equal length, but now is used to describe a tie or balanced contest between two competitors.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu), specifically the poem 'Jiu Bian' (Nine Changes) attributed to Song Yu of the Warring States period, which laments how Heaven divides the four seasons equally. The idiom was later crystallized by the Song dynasty poet Li Pu in his poem 'Mid-Autumn,' which reads 'Autumn's color equally shared, the full moon rides the sky, lighting the cloud-paths for a thousand miles.' From this, the expression came to signify two sides sharing equally.
💡 Example Usage
这场足球赛两队势均力敌，平分秋色，最终以一比一握手言和。
The two teams were evenly matched in the football match, each sharing the honors equally, and the game ended in a one-to-one draw.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 平分秋色
- Pinyin: píng fēn qiū sè
- Literal Translation: equally, divide, autumn, color
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4