每天成语
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触景生情

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: chù jǐng shēng qíng
  • English Translation: The sight of a scene stirs up emotions
  • Idiom Composition: 「触」（To touch, encounter, or be triggered by）＋「景」（Scenery, scene, or circumstances）＋「生」（To produce, arise, or give birth to）＋「情」（Emotion, feeling, or sentiment）
  • Meaning: To be moved by the sight of a particular scene or situation, causing certain emotions—such as nostalgia, sadness, or deep reflection—to arise naturally. It is often used when revisiting places tied to past memories.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「触景生情」 contains the following nuances:

  • External Stimulus as a Trigger: This idiom emphasizes that the emotion is not spontaneous but is specifically triggered by 'touching' (触) or encountering a visual 'scene' (景).
  • Emotional Nuance: While it can apply to any emotion, it is most frequently used for sentimental, nostalgic, or melancholic feelings associated with the passage of time or loss.

3. Usage

「触景生情」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Revisiting a hometown or place of memories: Most commonly used when visiting a former home or school and feeling a surge of emotion upon seeing how things have or haven't changed.
    • Example:「回到阔别多年的母校，看着操场上的孩子们，我不禁触景生情。」
      （Returning to my alma mater after many years and seeing the children on the playground, I couldn't help but be moved by the scene.)
  • Seeing mementos or keepsakes: Used when an object or a specific visual detail triggers a memory of the past or a person who is no longer there.
    • Example:「翻开那本旧相册，每一张照片都让他触景生情，想起了往日的时光。」
      （Opening that old photo album, every picture stirred up his emotions, reminding him of days gone by.)
  • Avoiding triggers of grief: Often used in the negative sense (怕触景生情) to describe avoiding a place so that one does not become overwhelmed by painful memories.
    • Example:「自从妻子去世后，他搬离了那座房子，以免触景生情。」
      （Since his wife passed away, he moved out of that house to avoid being constantly reminded of her by his surroundings.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 走在秋天的落叶中，诗人触景生情，写下了一首感伤的诗。
    （Walking through the autumn leaves, the poet was moved by the scenery and wrote a sentimental poem.）
  2. 为了不让母亲触景生情，我们把父亲生前的用品都收了起来。
    （To prevent our mother from becoming overwhelmed by memories, we put away all of our father's belongings.）
  3. 这部电影的场景太真实了，让很多经历过那个年代的观众触景生情。
    （The movie's sets were so realistic that they evoked deep emotions in many viewers who had lived through that era.）
  4. 虽然是故地重游，但他并没有触景生情，反而觉得一切都很陌生。
    （Although he was revisiting an old haunt, he did not feel any particular connection to the scene; instead, everything felt quite foreign.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • In Chinese literary theory, the relationship between 景 (jǐng - scenery) and 情 (qíng - emotion) is fundamental. A perfect piece of writing is often described as 情景交融 (qíng jǐng jiāo róng), where the scene and the emotion are perfectly blended.
  • The idiom appears in historical works such as the Ming Dynasty text A Book to Burn (诗经 - Fén Shū) by Li Zhi (李挚). It reflects a long-standing tradition in Chinese poetry of using nature to reflect human transience.
  • While similar to 睹物思人 (dǔ wù sī rén), which specifically means 'seeing an object and thinking of a person,' 触景生情 (chù jǐng shēng qíng) is broader and can refer to general reflections on life, history, or one's own fate.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

触景生情 (chù jǐng shēng qíng) describes the spontaneous arising of feelings triggered by one's external environment. It is a common expression for the 'sentimental' or 'moved' feeling one gets when returning to a hometown or seeing a place that has changed over time. It can also be used in the context of avoiding certain places to prevent painful memories from being triggered.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

chù jǐng shēng qíng
触景生情
Stirred by the Sight
wǒ men我们dōu都yǒu有guò过zhè yàng这样de的shí kè时刻。

We have all had moments like this.

zǒu走dào到yí gè一个tè dìng特定de的dì fāng地方，huò zhě或者kàn dào看到yí gè一个shú xī熟悉de的huà miàn画面，xīn lǐ心里tū rán突然yǒng qǐ涌起yī zhèn一阵qiáng liè强烈de的gǎn jué感觉。

Walking to a specific place or seeing a familiar scene, a strong feeling suddenly wells up in your heart.

yě xǔ也许bìng并méi yǒu没有fā shēng发生shén me什么dà shì大事，dàn但nà那yī kè一刻，nǐ你jiù shì就是xiǎng qǐ想起le了guò qù过去，shèn zhì甚至xiǎng yào想要liú lèi流泪。

Perhaps nothing major happened, but at that moment, you just remember the past and might even want to cry.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常xì nì细腻de的chéng yǔ成语，jiào叫“chù jǐng shēng qíng触景生情”。

In Chinese, there is a very delicate idiom called 触景生情.

zhè ge这个cí词de的jié gòu结构xiàng像yí gè一个dòng zuò动作guò chéng过程。

The structure of this word is like a process of action.

“chù触”，shì是jiē chù接触、pèng dào碰到；“jǐng景”，shì是yǎn qián眼前de的jǐng sè景色huò或huán jìng环境；“shēng生”，shì是chǎn shēng产生；“qíng情”，zé则shì是qíng xù情绪。

触 means to touch or encounter; 景 is the scenery or environment before your eyes; 生 means to produce; and 情 is emotion.

lián连qǐ lái起来jiù shì就是：yīn wèi因为kàn dào看到le了yǎn qián眼前de的jǐng wù景物，ér而yǐn fā引发le了xīn lǐ心里de的mǒu zhǒng某种gǎn chù感触。

Put together, it means: because of seeing the scenery before you, a certain feeling is triggered in your heart.

zhè这tōng cháng通常bú shì不是yīn wèi因为fēng jǐng风景běn shēn本身yǒu有duō多měi美，ér shì而是yīn wèi因为zhè ge这个fēng jǐng风景，shì是yī bǎ一把yào shi钥匙。

This is usually not because the scenery itself is so beautiful, but because this scenery is a key.

bǐ rú比如，nǐ你huí dào回到le了xiǎo shí hòu小时候zhù住guò过de的jiē dào街道。

For example, you return to the street where you lived as a child.

kàn dào看到lù biān路边nà那kē棵lǎo shù老树，nǐ你kě néng可能tū rán突然xiǎng qǐ想起le了tóng nián童年de的wán bàn玩伴，hé和nà xiē那些wú yōu wú lǜ无忧无虑de的rì zi日子。

Seeing that old tree by the road, you might suddenly remember childhood playmates and those carefree days.

yòu又huò zhě或者，nǐ你lù guò路过yī jiā一家céng jīng曾经hé和mǒu某gè rén个人cháng常qù去de的kā fēi guǎn咖啡馆。

Or perhaps, you pass by a cafe you used to visit often with someone.

suī rán虽然nà ge那个rén人yǐ jīng已经bù不zài在shēn biān身边le了，dàn但kàn dào看到nà ge那个zhāo pái招牌、wén dào闻到nà ge那个wèi dào味道，dāng nián当年de的xīn qíng心情hǎo xiàng好像yī xià zi一下子yòu又huí lái回来le了。

Even though that person is no longer by your side, seeing that sign and smelling that aroma makes the feelings of those years seem to return all at once.

zhè这jiù shì就是“chù jǐng shēng qíng触景生情”。

This is 触景生情.

tā它ràng让wǒ men我们míng bái明白le了yí gè一个dào lǐ道理：rén人de的jì yì记忆，bìng并bù不zhǐ只chǔ cún储存zài在nǎo hǎi脑海lǐ里，tā它hái还chǔ cún储存zài在wǒ men我们zǒu guò走过de的fēng jǐng风景lǐ里。

It makes us understand a truth: human memory is not only stored in the mind, it is also stored in the landscapes we have walked through.

hěn很duō多shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们yǐ wéi以为zì jǐ自己yǐ jīng已经wàng jì忘记le了。

Many times, we think we have already forgotten.

kě shì可是，dāng当huán jìng环境duì对le了，guāng xiàn光线duì对le了，nà xiē那些chén shuì沉睡de的jì yì记忆jiù就huì会bèi被huàn xǐng唤醒。

However, when the environment is right and the light is right, those sleeping memories will be awakened.

suǒ yǐ所以，“chù jǐng shēng qíng触景生情”wǎng wǎng往往dài带zhe着yì diǎn diǎn一点点huái niàn怀念，shèn zhì甚至yì diǎn diǎn一点点gǎn shāng感伤。

Therefore, 触景生情 often carries a bit of nostalgia, or even a bit of melancholy.

yīn wèi因为tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们yào要miàn duì面对shí jiān时间de的liú shì流逝，yě也yào要miàn duì面对nà xiē那些yǐ jīng已经gǎi biàn改变de的rén人hé和shì事。

Because it reminds us to face the passage of time, and to face those people and things that have already changed.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你yīn wèi因为kàn dào看到mǒu yàng某样dōng xī东西ér而tū rán突然xiàn rù陷入chén sī沉思shí时，bù yòng不用jué de觉得qí guài奇怪。

Next time, when you suddenly fall into deep thought because of seeing something, there is no need to feel strange.

nà那zhǐ shì只是yīn wèi因为，fēng jǐng风景bāng帮nǐ你jì zhù记住le了nǐ你céng jīng曾经de的yàng zi样子。

It is just because the scenery helped you remember the way you used to be.

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