如梦方醒 Awaken from a dream
Explanation
比喻过去一直糊涂，在别人或事实的启发下，刚刚明白过来。
It means that one was confused in the past, but under the inspiration of others or facts, one finally understood.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫李白的书生，自幼聪明好学，却因沉迷于诗歌创作，对现实生活不闻不问。一日，他偶然读到一篇关于安史之乱的史书，文中详细描写了百姓流离失所，家破人亡的惨状。李白看到这里，不禁潸然泪下，他仿佛置身于那乱世之中，亲眼目睹了战争的残酷与百姓的痛苦。他这才如梦方醒，意识到自己过去醉心于诗歌创作，而忽略了现实社会的疾苦。从此，他放弃了只顾个人情感的创作，开始关注民生疾苦，创作出更多反映现实的作品，他的诗歌也因此更加深刻，具有了更强的感染力。
It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai, who was intelligent and studious since childhood, but because he was addicted to poetry creation, he was oblivious to real life. One day, he accidentally read a historical book about the An Lushan Rebellion, which detailed the tragic plight of the people who were displaced and their homes destroyed. Li Bai couldn't help but shed tears when he saw this. He seemed to be in the midst of that chaotic world, witnessing the cruelty of the war and the suffering of the people. He finally woke up from his dream and realized that in the past he had devoted himself to poetry creation while ignoring the hardships of real society. From then on, he gave up his self-centered creation and began to pay attention to the suffering of the people, creating more works that reflected reality. His poems have become more profound and more touching.
Usage
形容人突然醒悟，明白过来。
It describes someone suddenly awakening and understanding something.
Examples
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他经过一番努力，终于如梦方醒，明白了事情的真相。
ta jingguo yifang nuli, zhongyu rumengfangxing, mingbaile shiqing de zhenxiang.
After a lot of effort, he finally woke up from his dream and understood the truth.
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在老师的指点下，他如梦方醒，茅塞顿开。
zai laoshi de zhidian xia, ta rumengfangxing, maosai dunkai
Under the guidance of the teacher, he woke up from a dream and suddenly became enlightened.