📖 Meaning
Describes a youthful appearance with rosy cheeks and dark, lustrous hair at the temples. It vividly evokes the vigor and freshness of youth, contrasting with the pallor and gray hair of old age.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Qing dynasty poet Gong Zizhen (龚自珍), specifically his poem 'Néng Lìng Gōng Shào Nián Xíng' (能令公少年行, 'I Can Make You Young Again'). In the relevant line, the poet claims that with a cup of mica wine he could make the recipient's face rosy and hair dark, allowing him to rival young men in radiant vigor. The phrase was later adopted by writers such as Huang Zunxian (黄遵宪), who used it to express how the beauty of one's homeland could restore a sense of youth and vitality.
💡 Example Usage
他年近半百却依然颜丹鬓绿，丝毫看不出岁月的痕迹。
Though nearing fifty, he still has a rosy complexion and dark hair, showing not the slightest trace of age.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 颜丹鬓绿
- Pinyin: yán dān bìn lǜ
- Literal Translation: face red, temples dark
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4