Chinese idiom · 成语
龙飞凤舞
Meaning
Dragon flies, phoenix dances; vigorous or flamboyant calligraphy.
Character by character
Origin and story
literaryDragon and phoenix imagery has been applied both to writing and to landscape. In a description of cursive script attributed to Emperor Wu of Liang, the changing forms of strokes are compared with supple willows, tall pines, a dancing phoenix, and a coiling dragon. The familiar four-character idiom is not given there in that exact order.
Su Shi's Song-period inscription for the Biaozhong Guan uses 龙飞凤舞 directly of the powerful mountain forms around Lin'an. The image thus conveys flowing, vigorous movement rather than one particular calligrapher's miraculous experience. In modern descriptions of handwriting it can praise lively brushwork, but it can also tease someone whose energetic scrawl is difficult to decipher.
In everyday life
你的便条写得龙飞凤舞，我只认出了最后两个字。
Your note is such a flourishing scrawl that I could only make out the last two characters.
Can praise expressive calligraphy or criticize illegible handwriting; this example is teasing.