📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to the exchange of letters and correspondence between people. Both the goose and the fish serve as classical metaphors for written messages, drawing on ancient legends of geese carrying letters and fish delivering scrolls. It evokes the back-and-forth flow of communication across distances.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a verse by the Yuan dynasty poet Tang Shi (汤式) in his sanqu work 'Xiangfei Yin · You Suo Zeng' (《湘妃引·有所赠》). The line reads, 'Orioles torment and swallows clamor, provoking longing; geese depart and fish arrive, transmitting words of sorrow.' The imagery draws on the Han dynasty legend of Su Wu binding a letter to a goose's foot, and the ancient tale of a silk letter hidden inside a pair of carp, both symbolizing the sending and receiving of correspondence across great distances.
💡 Example Usage
自你远行之后，你我之间雁去鱼来，书信不断，聊慰思念之情。
Ever since you journeyed far away, we have exchanged letters back and forth without ceasing, easing the ache of longing.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 雁去鱼来
- Pinyin: yàn qù yú lái
- Literal Translation: geese, depart, fish, arrive
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4