📖 Meaning
Refers to the oriole's song stirring one's poetic inspiration, much like a drum-and-wind military band rouses the spirit. It describes an external stimulus—especially birdsong in nature—that awakens the urge to compose poetry.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from Feng Zhi's Tang-dynasty miscellany Yunxian Zaji (《云仙杂记》), where the hermit Dai Yong sets out in spring carrying two oranges and a flask of wine. When asked where he is going, he replies that he is off to listen to the orioles, calling their song 'a needle that pricks the vulgar ear, a drum-and-wind band that stirs the poetic gut.' The anecdote captures the romantic ideal of nature as the ultimate muse for the artist.
💡 Example Usage
清晨听到窗外黄鹂啼鸣，顿觉诗肠鼓吹，文思泉涌。
Hearing the orioles singing outside the window at dawn, I instantly felt my poetic spirit roused and ideas gushed forth like a spring.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 诗肠鼓吹
- Pinyin: shī chá gǔ chuì
- Literal Translation: poetry, gut, drum-and-wind ensemble
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4