每天成语
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信手拈来

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: xìn shǒu niān lái
  • English Translation: To have at one's fingertips (effortless mastery)
  • Idiom Composition: 「信」（Freely or at will (as in 'following the hand's movement')）＋「手」（Hand）＋「拈」（To pick up with the fingers or pluck）＋「来」（A resultative particle indicating the action is brought forth）
  • Meaning: Literally meaning to pick something up with the hand as one pleases, this idiom describes the ability to write or speak with effortless ease. It refers to drawing upon a vast store of knowledge, vocabulary, or materials spontaneously and skillfully without having to struggle for inspiration.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「信手拈来」 contains the following nuances:

  • Mastery and Ease: This idiom does not simply mean 'choosing at random.' It implies that because the person has a deep accumulation of skill, even a casual or spontaneous choice results in something perfect.
  • Specific Scope: It is primarily used for abstract things like 'words, writing materials, classical allusions, or solutions.' It is rarely used to describe the physical act of picking up objects.

3. Usage

「信手拈来」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Writing and Creative Ability: Used to praise writers or creators who can find perfect expressions or subject matter without any visible effort.
    • Example:「这位作家生活经验丰富，写起文章来素材信手拈来。」
      （This writer has rich life experience, so when he writes, he can draw upon materials effortlessly.)
  • Speeches and Lectures: Describes a speaker or teacher who can quote various examples and data from memory to support their points.
    • Example:「教授讲课时旁征博引，各种典故信手拈来，让学生们听得入迷。」
      （The professor's lecture was so erudite that various classical allusions were at his fingertips, leaving the students mesmerized.)
  • Problem Solving: Can refer to the ability to provide immediate solutions or ideas for difficult problems based on expertise.
    • Example:「对于资深工程师来说，解决这种常见故障的方法简直是信手拈来。」
      （For a veteran engineer, the solution to this kind of common fault is second nature.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他读过很多书，写作文时优美的词句总是信手拈来。
    （He has read many books, so beautiful phrases are at his fingertips when he writes essays.）
  2. 幽默感是他与生俱来的天赋，笑话段子信手拈来。
    （Humor is his innate talent; he can come up with jokes effortlessly.）
  3. 真正的高手不需要刻意准备，灵感往往信手拈来。
    （A true master does not need deliberate preparation; inspiration often comes naturally.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This idiom comes from a poem by the famous Song Dynasty (宋朝) poet Su Shi (苏轼) titled 'Matching the Rhyme of Kong Yifu's Collection of Ancient Lines' (次韵孔毅甫集古人句见赠). He wrote, '信手拈来俱天成' (xìn shǒu niān lái jù tiān chéng), meaning that even things picked up casually are as perfect as if they were created by nature.
  • Zen Influence: The action of 拈 (niān), or 'plucking,' is often associated with the Zen Buddhist story 拈华微笑 (nián huá wēi xiào), where the Buddha held up a flower to transmit truth without words. This connection adds a nuance of intuitive, high-level enlightenment and spontaneous wisdom to the idiom.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 信手拈来 (xìn shǒu niān lái) characterizes the 'ease of a master.' It is used to praise individuals who have such a deep foundation of knowledge or experience that they can produce excellent work or cite references instantly. Rather than laboring over a task, the right words or solutions seem to flow from them naturally.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 2

Idiom Essay

xìn shǒu niān lái
信手拈来
Effortless Mastery
nǐ你yǒu méi yǒu有没有jiàn guò见过zhè yàng这样de的rén人？

Have you ever met someone like this?

tā men他们zài在zuò做yī jiàn一件kàn shì看似hěn很fù zá复杂de的shì qíng事情shí时，biǎo xiàn表现dé得fēi cháng非常qīng sōng轻松。

They appear very relaxed while performing a task that seems highly complex.

bǐ rú比如yī wèi一位jīng yàn fēng fù经验丰富de的dà chú大厨，tā他zài在zuò cài做菜shí时，bù不xū yào需要ná拿liàng sháo量勺qù去jīng zhǔn精准dì地chēng liáng称量yán盐hé和táng糖。

For example, an experienced chef doesn't need measuring spoons to precisely weigh salt and sugar while cooking.

tā他zhǐ shì只是suí yì随意dì地zhuā抓yī bǎ一把sā撒jìn进guō锅lǐ里，wèi dào味道què却gāng gāng刚刚hǎo好。

He just grabs a handful and sprinkles it into the pot, yet the taste is perfect.

huò zhě或者shì是yī wèi一位bó xué博学de的lǎo shī老师，dāng当xué shēng学生wèn问chū出yí gè一个hěn很nán难de的wèn tí问题，tā他bù不xū yào需要qù去fān翻shū书，yě也bù不xū yào需要zhòu皱zhe着méi tóu眉头kǔ苦xiǎng想，shùn kǒu顺口jiù就néng能jiǎng讲chū出yí gè一个qià dàng恰当de的gù shì故事，huò zhě或者yǐn yòng引用yī jù一句wán měi完美de的shī cí诗词lái来huí dá回答。

Or a learned teacher who, when asked a difficult question, doesn't need to flip through books or frown in deep thought; he can naturally tell an appropriate story or quote a perfect poem to answer.

zhè zhǒng这种jǔ zhòng ruò qīng举重若轻de的zhuàng tài状态，zài在zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常yōu yǎ优雅de的chéng yǔ成语lái来xíng róng形容，jiào叫“xìn shǒu niān lái信手拈来”。

This state of handling heavy tasks with ease is described by a very elegant Chinese idiom called 信手拈来.

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

This phrase has a strong sense of imagery.

“xìn shǒu信手”，yì si意思shì是suí shǒu随手，fēi cháng非常suí yì随意，bù不xū yào需要kè yì刻意ān pái安排；“niān拈”，shì是yí gè一个hěn很xì nì细腻de的dòng zuò动作，shì是yòng用liǎng sān gè两三个shǒu zhǐ手指qīng qīng轻轻dì地jiā夹qǐ起dōng xī东西。

信手 means casually or at will, without deliberate arrangement; 拈 is a delicate action, referring to picking something up gently with two or three fingers.

bǎ把tā men它们lián连qǐ lái起来，“xìn shǒu niān lái信手拈来”de的yì si意思jiù shì就是：fēi cháng非常qīng sōng轻松dì地suí shǒu随手yī ná一拿，jiù就ná dào拿到le了zuì最xiǎng yào想要de的dōng xī东西。

Putting them together, 信手拈来 means picking up exactly what you want very easily and casually.

gǔ rén古人zuì最zǎo早yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容xiě写wén zhāng文章。

Ancient people first used it to describe writing articles.

yì si意思shì是shuō说，yí gè一个cái huá héng yì才华横溢de的zuò jiā作家，bù不xū yào需要jiǎo jìn nǎo zhī绞尽脑汁qù去xiǎng想yòng用shén me什么cí词，nà xiē那些měi hǎo美好de的jù zi句子jiù就xiàng像fàng放zài在shǒu biān手边yī yàng一样，suí shǒu随手jiù就néng能ná lái拿来yòng用。

It means a brilliant writer doesn't need to rack their brains for words; those beautiful sentences are like they are right at hand, ready to be used at any time.

dàn shì但是，“xìn shǒu niān lái信手拈来”zuì最mí rén迷人de的dì fāng地方，bù不zài yú在于“qīng sōng轻松”，ér而zài yú在于zhè这bèi hòu背后de的“bìng并bù不qīng sōng轻松”。

However, the most charming part of 信手拈来 is not the ease, but the lack of ease behind it.

wǒ men我们dōu都zhī dào知道，rú guǒ如果kǒu dài口袋lǐ里méi yǒu没有dōng xī东西，nǐ你zài再zěn me怎么“xìn shǒu信手”，yě也shì是ná拿bù不chū出dōng xī东西lái来de的。

We all know that if there is nothing in your pocket, no matter how you 信手, you cannot take anything out.

nà ge那个dà chú大厨zhī suǒ yǐ之所以néng能suí shǒu随手sā撒yán盐，shì是yīn wèi因为tā他zài在chú fáng厨房lǐ里chóng fù重复le了chéng qiān shàng wàn成千上万cì次；nà ge那个lǎo shī老师zhī suǒ yǐ之所以néng能suí kǒu随口yǐn yòng引用diǎn gù典故，shì是yīn wèi因为tā他dú读guò过wú shù běn无数本shū书。

The reason the chef can sprinkle salt at will is that he has repeated it thousands of times in the kitchen; the reason the teacher can quote classics naturally is that he has read countless books.

suǒ yǐ所以，zhēn zhèng真正de的“xìn shǒu niān lái信手拈来”，qí shí其实shì是hòu jī bó fā厚积薄发。

Therefore, true 信手拈来 is actually the result of deep accumulation.

tā它kàn qǐ lái看起来shì是yī zhǒng一种yùn qì运气，huò zhě或者shì是tiān cái天才de的zhí jué直觉，dàn但shí jì shàng实际上，tā它shì是zhǎng长shí jiān时间jī lěi积累hòu后de的zì yóu自由。

It looks like luck or a genius's intuition, but in reality, it is the freedom that comes after long-term accumulation.

dāng当yī xiàng一项jì néng技能yǐ jīng已经wán quán完全róng rù融入le了nǐ你de的shēn tǐ身体，dāng当zhī shí知识yǐ jīng已经biàn chéng变成le了nǐ你de的yī bù fèn一部分，nǐ你jiù就bù zài不再xū yào需要kè yì刻意dì地qù去“xún zhǎo寻找”dá àn答案，yīn wèi因为dá àn答案huì会zì rán自然dì地liú tǎng流淌chū lái出来。

When a skill has fully integrated into your body and knowledge has become a part of you, you no longer need to deliberately search for answers because they flow out naturally.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你kàn dào看到yǒu rén有人zài在mǒu某gè个lǐng yù领域biǎo xiàn表现dé得yóu rèn yǒu yú游刃有余，fǎng fú仿佛háo bù fèi lì毫不费力shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以yóu zhōng由衷dì地zàn tàn赞叹yī jù一句：zhēn shì真是“xìn shǒu niān lái信手拈来”。

Next time you see someone performing with ease in a certain field as if it were effortless, you can sincerely exclaim: it is truly 信手拈来.

zhè这jù句huà话，jì既shì是zài在kuā zàn夸赞xiàn zài现在de的qīng sōng轻松，yě也shì是zài在zhì jìng致敬guò qù过去nà xiē那些mò mò默默nǔ lì努力de的shí guāng时光。

This sentence praises the current ease while also paying tribute to the time spent working hard in silence.

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