📖 Meaning
To casually grab or take something at hand. It commonly describes someone writing with such skill and familiarity that they can effortlessly select words or apply literary allusions without much thought. It implies mastery and fluency born of deep practice.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a poem by the Song dynasty poet Su Shi (苏轼), titled '次韵孔毅甫集古人句见赠' (Matching Rhymes with Kong Yifu's Poem of Collected Ancient Verses). Su Shi praised his friend, saying that he, like the great Tang poet Du Fu (子美), could effortlessly compose lines that seemed divinely crafted. The line reads: '前身子美只君是，信手拈来俱天成' — 'You alone are the reincarnation of Zimei; whatever you casually take up is naturally perfect.' The idiom thus became a metaphor for effortless literary mastery.
💡 Example Usage
他博览群书，写文章时典故信手拈来，毫无斧凿之痕。
Having read widely, he could deploy literary allusions effortlessly in his writing, leaving no trace of laborious crafting.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 信手拈来
- Pinyin: xìn shǒu niān lái
- Literal Translation: 信手, 拈, 来
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4