Chinese idiom · 成语
花容月貌
Meaning
Flower-like face, moon-like beauty; exquisite feminine charm.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageFlowers and the moon supply the paired images: a face as lovely as a flower and an appearance like the moon. The exact expression occurs in scene 10 of Lu Cai's Ming play Mingzhu ji, where a young woman's beauty is set alongside a man's literary gifts to praise their suitability as a couple.
Later novels also use it, including Jinghua yuan and Honglou meng. These examples establish a literary description rather than a single origin adventure involving one famous beauty. Its tone is ornate and traditional, especially when applied to a woman; in everyday speech, a simpler compliment may sound more natural.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
看到姐姐的婚纱照，奶奶笑着说：“真是花容月貌！”
Looking at my older sister's wedding photos, Grandma smiled and said, 'What a beauty!'
An ornate, traditional compliment about a woman's appearance; suits a deliberately literary tone.