📖 Meaning
A winding, extremely narrow path, often referring to mountain trails. The name comes from the resemblance of such a twisted route to a sheep's intestines. It describes terrain that is difficult to traverse due to its tight curves and limited width.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a poem by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty titled 'Early Ascent of the Taihang Mountains,' where he wrote of fiery dragons lighting the bird's path and iron cavalry winding along the sheep's intestines. The imagery compares the treacherous, coiled mountain trails of the Taihang range to the winding intestines of a sheep. Over time, '羊肠小道' became a common expression for any narrow, tortuous footpath, especially in mountainous regions.
💡 Example Usage
我们沿着羊肠小道攀上山峰，两旁杂草丛生，行走十分艰难。
We climbed toward the summit along a narrow, winding path flanked by overgrown weeds, making the trek quite arduous.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 羊肠小道
- Pinyin: yáng cháng xiǎo dào
- Literal Translation: sheep, intestine, small, path
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4