傾城
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
Japanese [edit]
| Kanji in this term | |
| 傾 | 城 |
Etymology [edit]
See the Mandarin section.
Noun [edit]
傾城(hiragana けいせい, romaji keisei)
- (idiomatic) a very beautiful woman (Compare the English term femme fatale.)
- 傾城の美人 (けいせいのびじん, keisei no bijin)
- castle-toppling beauty
- 傾城の美人 (けいせいのびじん, keisei no bijin)
- (idiomatic) a courtesan
Synonyms [edit]
- (beautiful woman): 傾城傾国 (けいせいけいこく, keiseikeikoku)
References [edit]
- Kōjien, 5th edition, Iwanami Shoten Publishing, Tōkyō.
Mandarin [edit]
| simpl. | 倾城 | |
|---|---|---|
| trad. | 傾城 | |
Etymology [edit]
- 111: Ban Gu, Book of Han, Chapter 67, Biographies of the emperor's maternal relatives (漢書外戚傳第六十七)
- 孝武李夫人，本以倡進。初，夫人兄延年性知音，善歌舞，武帝愛之。每為新聲變曲，聞者莫不感動。延年侍上起舞，歌曰：「北方有佳人，絕世而獨立，一顧傾人城，再顧傾人國。寧不知傾城與傾國，佳人難再得！」上歎息曰：「善！世豈有此人乎？」平陽主因言延年有女弟，上乃召見之，實妙麗善舞。由是得幸，生一男，是為昌邑哀王。
- Consort Li, concubine to the Emperor Wu of Han, was originally a dancing performer. Her brother Yannian was a gifted musician and dancer, beloved by the emperor. Every time he composed something new, it never failed to move those listening to it. One day, Yannian did a dance and sang, "There is a beauty in the north, who stands out among the generations. One look will topple the men of the city. A second look will topple the men of the country. I would rather not know about toppled cities and toppled countries, because a beauty of this caliber may not come around again! " His majesty sighed and said, "Wow! Can there really be such a person in this world? " Whereupon Pingyang mentioned that Yannian had a sister. His majesty summoned her, and she was indeed a sight to behold, and a good dancer. As a result, she received the emperor's favor, and bore him a son; this was Prince Ai of Changyi. (Wiktionary translation)
- 孝武李夫人，本以倡進。初，夫人兄延年性知音，善歌舞，武帝愛之。每為新聲變曲，聞者莫不感動。延年侍上起舞，歌曰：「北方有佳人，絕世而獨立，一顧傾人城，再顧傾人國。寧不知傾城與傾國，佳人難再得！」上歎息曰：「善！世豈有此人乎？」平陽主因言延年有女弟，上乃召見之，實妙麗善舞。由是得幸，生一男，是為昌邑哀王。
Noun [edit]
傾城 (traditional, Pinyin qīngchéng, simplified 倾城)
- (archaic) a drop-dead gorgeous woman; a beauty who could drive a man to such distraction; a woman so beautiful, that he might be tempted to ignore his duties at court, and thus bring about the downfall of his empire
Usage notes [edit]
The story encapsulated by this word also figures prominently in the movie House of Flying Daggers.
Related terms [edit]
References [edit]
- "傾城" (in Mandarin), Guoyu Cidian On-line Mandarin Dictionary (國語辭典). URL accessed on 2009-05-30.
