📖 Meaning
The song of orioles and the chatter of swallows. Originally used to describe the beautiful sounds of spring, it later came to describe the gentle, pleasant voices of young women laughing and chatting.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a line by the Yuan dynasty playwright Guan Hanqing in his play 'Jin Xian Chi' (The Gold Thread Pool). In the prologue, a character describes a woman's graceful bearing and sweet voice, comparing her speech to the song of an oriole and her tone to a swallow's call, marveling that such beauty could never be captured on a painted screen. The idiom thus draws on the natural imagery of spring birdsong to evoke feminine charm and melodious speech.
💡 Example Usage
忽听得窗外莺声燕语，原来是一群姑娘在院中说笑。
Suddenly I heard the gentle, laughter-filled voices outside the window — it was a group of young women chatting in the courtyard.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 莺声燕语
- Pinyin: yīng shēng yàn yǔ
- Literal Translation: oriole, voice, swallow, speech
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4