📖 Meaning
Like a phoenix rising and a dragon soaring — used to describe someone with extraordinary literary talent or brilliant, graceful writing. It praises writing that is so magnificent it seems to take flight.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Tang Dynasty masterpiece 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng' (滕王阁序) by the celebrated poet Wang Bo (王勃). The original line reads '腾蛟起凤，孟学士之词宗' — 'Soaring dragons and rising phoenixes, the literary lineage of Master Meng.' Wang Bo used this vivid imagery to honor the assembled scholars' dazzling command of words. The phrase was later reordered and frozen into the four-character idiom 起凤腾蛟 to praise outstanding literary accomplishment.
💡 Example Usage
他的文笔起凤腾蛟，每篇文章都令人叹为观止。
His prose rises like a phoenix and soars like a dragon — every essay he writes leaves readers in awe.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 起凤腾蛟
- Pinyin: qǐ fèng téng jiāo
- Literal Translation: rise phoenix, soar flood dragon
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4