柳暗花明

Chinese

		willow	dark; gloomy; hidden dark; gloomy; hidden; secret	flower; blossom; to spend flower; blossom; to spend; fancy pattern	clear; bright; to understand clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty
trad. (柳暗花明)		柳	暗	花	明
simp. #(柳暗花明)		柳	暗	花	明

Etymology

From the poem "You Shan Xi Cun"《游山西村》(Traveling to a Village West of the Mountains), written in the first lunar month of 1167 by the Southern Song Dynasty poet Lu You (陆游, 1125-1210):

山重水複疑無路，柳暗花明又一村。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Touring Shanxi Village, Lu You

Shānzhòngshuǐfù yí wú lù, liǔ'ànhuāmíng yòu yī cūn. [Pinyin]

Over numerous mountains and streams, I had my doubts that I could find the road. Then out of the shade of the willows, came bright flowers and another village.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): liǔ'ànhuāmíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄡˇ ㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄇㄧㄥˊ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: liǔ'ànhuāmíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄡˇ ㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚ ㄇㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: liǒu-ànhuamíng
    • Wade–Giles: liu³-an⁴-hua¹-ming²
    • Yale: lyǒu-àn-hwā-míng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: leouannhuaming
    • Palladius: лю’аньхуамин (lju’anʹxuamin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ˀän⁵¹ xu̯ä⁵⁵ miŋ³⁵/

Idiom

柳暗花明

1. an enchanting sight in springtime
2. at one's darkest hour, a glimmer of hope

Synonyms

• 柳暗花明又一村 (liǔ'ànhuāmíng yòu yīcūn)