CHENGYU
画龙点睛(huà lóng diǎn jīng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary, approving
- Source:
- 唐·张彦远《历代名画记》
MEANING
- Literal
- to draw a dragon and dot in the eyes
- Figurative meaning
- to add the crucial finishing touch that brings a work to life
ORIGIN STORY
Tang-dynasty records tell of the painter Zhang Sengyou, who painted four dragons without eyes. Asked why, he said that dotting the eyes would make them fly away — and when he finally did, they did.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“the crowning touch”
EXAMPLES
最后这句话是画龙点睛之笔。Zuìhòu zhè jù huà shì huà lóng diǎn jīng zhī bǐ.HSK6
This final sentence is the finishing touch of the whole piece.
一个好的标题可以画龙点睛。Yí ge hǎo de biāotí kěyǐ huà lóng diǎn jīng.HSK6
A good title can be the crowning touch.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It praises a small addition that completes a work — the opposite of 画蛇添足, which ruins it.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01