【No. 2184】Garyō Tensei wo Kaku (画竜点睛を欠く - Lacking the Finishing Touch)
Oct 14, 2023 17:42
Garyō Tensei wo Kaku
When the most important part of completing something is missing, you can express the situation with the idiom garyō tensei wo kaku (画竜点睛を欠く).
Garyō (画竜) means "painted dragon," tensei (点睛) means "to draw eyes," and kaku (欠く) means "to miss." Therefore, the literal meaning of garyō tensei wo kaku (画竜点睛を欠く) is "to miss drawing the dragon's eyes."
This idiom originates from the story of the Chinese painter "Zhang Sengyou."
Zhang was commissioned to paint four dragons on the temple wall, and he completed a great painting in three days. However, he did not draw the dragons' eyes, reasoning that the dragons would fly out of the wall.
When people called Zhang a liar, he reluctantly drew the eyes of the two dragons. Then the dragons became real and flew away into the sky.
When the most important part of completing something is missing, you can express the situation with the idiom garyō tensei wo kaku (画竜点睛を欠く).
Garyō (画竜) means "painted dragon," tensei (点睛) means "to draw eyes," and kaku (欠く) means "to miss." Therefore, the literal meaning of garyō tensei wo kaku (画竜点睛を欠く) is "to miss drawing the dragon's eyes."
This idiom originates from the story of the Chinese painter "Zhang Sengyou."
Zhang was commissioned to paint four dragons on the temple wall, and he completed a great painting in three days. However, he did not draw the dragons' eyes, reasoning that the dragons would fly out of the wall.
When people called Zhang a liar, he reluctantly drew the eyes of the two dragons. Then the dragons became real and flew away into the sky.
画竜点睛を欠く
物事を完成させるための、最も肝心な部分が欠けてしまっていることを、「画竜点睛を欠く」と表現することがあります。
「画竜」は「絵に描いた竜」、「点睛」は「瞳を描き入れること」、「欠く」は "to miss" を意味するので、「画竜点睛を欠く」の文字どおりの意味は "to miss drawing the dragon's eyes" となります。
この慣用句は、中国の画家「張僧繇」の故事に由来します。
張は寺の壁に4匹の竜を描くよう命ぜられ、三日間で素晴らしい絵を描きましたが、「竜が壁から飛び出してしまうから」という理由で、瞳の点を入れませんでした。
人々から嘘つき呼ばわりされた張は、仕方なく2匹の竜の瞳を描き入れたところ、その竜はたちまち本物となり、天に飛び去ってしまったそうです。
物事を完成させるための、最も肝心な部分が欠けてしまっていることを、「画竜点睛を欠く」と表現することがあります。
「画竜」は「絵に描いた竜」、「点睛」は「瞳を描き入れること」、「欠く」は "to miss" を意味するので、「画竜点睛を欠く」の文字どおりの意味は "to miss drawing the dragon's eyes" となります。
この慣用句は、中国の画家「張僧繇」の故事に由来します。
張は寺の壁に4匹の竜を描くよう命ぜられ、三日間で素晴らしい絵を描きましたが、「竜が壁から飛び出してしまうから」という理由で、瞳の点を入れませんでした。
人々から嘘つき呼ばわりされた張は、仕方なく2匹の竜の瞳を描き入れたところ、その竜はたちまち本物となり、天に飛び去ってしまったそうです。
Corrections (1)
No. 1 O-Star
- Garyō Tensei wo Kaku (画竜点睛を欠く - Lacking the Finishing Touch)
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- Garyō Tensei wo Kaku
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- When the most important part of completing something is missing, you can express the situation with the idiom 'garyō tensei wo kaku' (画竜点睛を欠く).
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- 'Garyō' (画竜) means "painted dragon," 'tensei' (点睛) means "to draw eyes," and 'kaku' (欠く) means "to miss." Therefore, the literal meaning of 'garyō tensei wo kaku' (画竜点睛を欠く) is "to miss drawing the dragon's eyes."
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- This idiom originates from the story of the Chinese painter "Zhang Sengyou."
- This idiom originates from the story of the Chinese painter Zhang Sengyou.
- Zhang was commissioned to paint four dragons on the temple wall, and he completed a great painting in three days.
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- However, he did not draw the dragons' eyes, reasoning that the dragons would fly out of the wall.
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- When people called Zhang a liar, he reluctantly drew the eyes of the two dragons.
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
- Then the dragons became real and flew away into the sky.
- This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
I've heard of this story before.
Toru
Thank you for the correction!
This story may have been derived in various ways. :)
Thank you for the correction!
This story may have been derived in various ways. :)
O-Star
You're welcome!
You're welcome!