📖 Meaning
Refers to precious delicacies gathered from the mountains and seas, representing luxurious and abundant cuisine. It is used to describe a feast of rich, exquisite dishes.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Wei Yingwu titled 'Chang'an Dao Shi' (长安道诗). The original line reads '山珍海错弃藩篱，烹犊羊羔如折葵,' describing how delicacies from land and sea were discarded carelessly and calves and lambs were cooked as casually as picking mallow. The idiom later evolved from '山珍海错' to the more common '山珍海味,' broadening to denote any lavish spread of fine food.
💡 Example Usage
他每天吃着山珍海味，却不知百姓疾苦。
He dines on delicacies from land and sea every day, yet knows nothing of the people's suffering.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 山珍海味
- Pinyin: shān zhēn hǎi wèi
- Literal Translation: mountain, treasure, sea, flavor
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4