畫龍點睛

See also: 画龙点睛

Chinese

	draw; picture; painting	dragon; imperial; surname	to dot in the eyes on a painting; to add the finishing touch
trad. (畫龍點睛)	畫	龍	點睛
simp. (画龙点睛)	画	龙	点睛
Literally: “to draw a dragon and dot in the eyes”.

Etymology

又金陵安樂寺畫四龍，不點睛。云：點之即飛去。人以為誕，固請點之。須臾，雷電破壁，二龍乘雲騰上天。未點睛者見存。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

又金陵安乐寺画四龙，不点睛。云：点之即飞去。人以为诞，固请点之。须臾，雷电破壁，二龙乘云腾上天。未点睛者见存。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 《吳郡志》

Yòu Jīnlíng Ānlèsì huà sì lóng, bù diǎnjīng. Yún: diǎn zhī jí fēi qù. Rén yǐwèi dàn, gù qǐng diǎn zhī. Xūyú, léidiàn pò bì, èr lóng chéngyún téng shàngtiān. Wèi diǎnjīng zhě xiàncún. [Pinyin]

Furthermore, [the sixth-century painter Zhang Sengyou] drew four dragons in the Anle Temple at Jinling, but did not dot in the eyes. He said: "If I dot them in, they shall fly away." People thought this was absurd, and so asked him to dot them in. At an instant, thunder and lightning broke through the walls, and two of the dragons ascended the clouds to rise to the heavens. The ones which had not had their eyes dotted in were still there.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huàlóngdiǎnjīng
(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄐㄧㄥ
Cantonese (Jyutping): waak⁶ lung⁴ dim² zing¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huàlóngdiǎnjīng
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄌㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄐㄧㄥ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huàlóngdiǎnjing
  - Wade–Giles: hua⁴-lung²-tien³-ching¹
  - Yale: hwà-lúng-dyǎn-jīng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huahlongdeanjing
  - Palladius: хуалундяньцзин (xualundjanʹczin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xwä⁵¹ lʊŋ³⁵ tjɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: waak⁶ lung⁴ dim² zing¹
  - Yale: waahk lùhng dím jīng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: waak⁹ lung⁴ dim² dzing¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: wag⁶ lung⁴ dim² jing¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /waːk̚² lʊŋ²¹ tiːm³⁵ t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵/

Idiom

畫龍點睛

(figuratively) to put on the finishing touches

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (畫龍點睛):

→ Japanese: 画竜点睛(がりょうてんせい) (garyōtensei)
→ Korean: 화룡점정(畵龍點睛) (hwaryongjeomjeong)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
畫	龍	點	睛
が Hyōgaiji	りょう Jinmeiyō	てん Hyōgaiji	せい Hyōgaiji
on’yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 畫龍點睛 – see the following entry.

【画竜点睛がりょうてんせい】

[noun] (idiomatic) putting on the finishing touches

Alternative spelling
画龍点睛

(This term, 畫龍點睛, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)