📖 Meaning
Describes something as round as a pearl and as smooth and glossy as polished jade. Figuratively, it refers to a voice that is melodious and mellow, or writing that is fluent, elegant, and refined.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Tang dynasty poet and official Zhang Wencong and his poem Ode to Water (《咏水诗》), which contains the line '方流涵玉润，圆折动珠光' ('the flowing stream holds jade-like smoothness; the circling ripples stir pearl-like light'). The poem depicts the beauty of water, comparing its flowing smoothness to jade and its round ripples to pearls. Later generations distilled this imagery into the idiom 珠圆玉润, first used to praise melodious singing, and later extended to describe smooth, flowing literary style. The Qing dynasty critic Zhou Ji also used it in his Ci Bi (《词辨》) to praise Northern Song ci poetry.
💡 Example Usage
她的歌声珠圆玉润，令人陶醉。
Her singing voice was as round and smooth as pearls and jade, utterly enchanting.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 珠圆玉润
- Pinyin: zhū yuán yù rùn
- Literal Translation: pearl, round, jade, smooth
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4