📖 Meaning
A metaphor for writing that is exceptionally elegant and magnificent. It compares beautiful prose to brocade woven by the Weaving Maiden from colorful clouds and natural patterns formed by celestial clouds. Used to praise articles or literary works of outstanding beauty and refinement.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws on Chinese mythology in which the Weaving Maiden (织女) weaves brocade from colorful clouds in the sky. '云锦' refers to this celestial brocade, while '天章' refers to the natural patterns formed by clouds. Together they create an image of supreme beauty that classical Chinese literary critics adopted to praise exceptionally fine writing. The combination of Daoist celestial aesthetics with literary appreciation made it a favored expression in traditional poetry criticism.
💡 Example Usage
这篇文章文采斐然，堪称云锦天章。
This essay is brilliantly written, truly a work of celestial elegance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 云锦天章
- Pinyin: yún jǐn tiān zhāng
- Literal Translation: cloud brocade, heavenly pattern
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4