别出心裁

Origin and story

A possible antecedent is 別出新裁 in the introductory notes to an edition of Water Margin, attributed to Li Zhi. The passage discusses the book's illustrations: instead of following a fixed old arrangement or maximizing their number, the editor proposes selecting especially effective scenes and arranging them flexibly.

The familiar form with 心, suggesting a design conceived in the mind, is later attested in Yuan Mei's letter Ji Qi Fangbo Shu (寄奇方伯書). There he discusses retaining original observations in his own writing. The expression's background is editorial and literary craftsmanship, not a tale about an actual tailor. It now praises an inventive treatment or thoughtfully original design.