Chinese idiom · 成语
发人深省
Meaning
To provoke deep reflection; profoundly thought-provoking.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageDu Fu's poem You Longmen Fengxian si describes visiting and spending the night at a Buddhist temple. Valleys, moonlit woods, cold clothing, and nearby-looking stars establish the quiet setting. As he is about to wake, the morning bell prompts deep reflection. The poem says 令人发深省, rather than using the later four-character idiom in its final order.
Later writers apply 发人深省 to words, events, and accounts that stir serious thought or awaken understanding. No specific moral revelation needs to be invented beyond what Du Fu's poem says. 省 is pronounced xǐng here, the sense of reflecting or examining, not shěng, a province.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这部纪录片发人深省，让我重新思考自己的消费习惯。
This documentary is thought-provoking and made me reconsider my spending habits.
For something that prompts serious reflection, not merely surprise.