📖 Meaning
To crane one's neck and gaze into the distance. It describes a state of earnest, anxious anticipation — waiting for someone or something with great hope and longing.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from two classical sources. In 'Mencius: King Hui of Liang', Mencius tells the king that if a ruler refrains from killing, the people of the world will all crane their necks and look to him with hope. It also appears in the 'New History of the Five Dynasties' in the biography of Guo Chongtao, a Tang dynasty general, where it describes how people north of the Yellow River craned their necks to gaze hopefully toward the newly established imperial proclamation, longing for success and peace after prolonged warfare.
💡 Example Usage
灾民引首以望，等待救援物资的到来。
The disaster victims craned their necks in hope, waiting for relief supplies to arrive.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 引首以望
- Pinyin: yǐn shǒu yǐ wàng
- Literal Translation: stretch, head, in order to, gaze
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4