📖 Meaning
To seep into one's heart and spleen — describes something so refreshingly fragrant, cool, or beautiful that it penetrates deep inside and brings a sense of comfort and delight. It is often used to praise fresh air, cooling drinks, or graceful poetry and prose.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Song dynasty poet Lin Hong's poem 'Cold Spring Pavilion' (冷泉亭), which contains the line 'A pool so clear it seeps into the poet's spleen.' The original sense referred to cool, aromatic air or drink that refreshes one physically. Over time, the meaning expanded to describe literary works that are so elegantly beautiful they give the reader a refreshing, soul-stirring sensation.
💡 Example Usage
清晨的山风沁人心脾，让人精神一振。
The morning mountain breeze was so refreshing it seeped into my heart and soul, instantly lifting my spirits.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 沁人心脾
- Pinyin: qìn rén xīn pí
- Literal Translation: seep, person, heart, spleen
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4