📖 Meaning
Describes a scene where the landscape is shrouded and hidden by cloud and mist, so that it cannot be seen clearly. The characters 'lock' (锁) and 'obscure' (迷) convey a sense of being sealed off and enveloped. It is often used in poetry and prose to depict misty mountains, rivers, or a hazy, veiled atmosphere.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no recorded origin in classical texts (出处无), so no specific dynasty, text, or figure can be named for it. It belongs to the class of descriptive four-character literary phrases used to paint scenic imagery. The pairing of 雾 (fog) and 烟 (mist) is a common trope in traditional Chinese landscape poetry and painting, evoking remote, veiled scenery. Over time such phrases passed into common usage as fixed expressions for mist-shrouded vistas.
💡 Example Usage
清晨的山谷雾锁烟迷，游人只能隐约看见远处的峰峦。
In the early morning the mountain valley was shrouded in fog and mist, and visitors could only faintly make out the distant peaks.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 雾锁烟迷
- Pinyin: wù suǒ yān mí
- Literal Translation: fog locks, smoke obscures
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4