沉鱼落雁 Fish sink, geese fall
Explanation
形容女子容貌美丽绝伦，美丽得能让鱼儿沉入水中，大雁降落沙洲。
It describes a woman's beauty as exceptionally beautiful, so beautiful that fish sink in water and wild geese land on sandbanks.
Origin Story
春秋时期，越国有个绝世美女西施，有一天她在河边浣纱，她天生丽质，美貌惊人。当她低头浣纱时，清澈的河水中，鱼儿都为她的美貌所倾倒，羞得不敢浮出水面，纷纷沉入水底。西施的美貌不仅让鱼儿为之倾倒，就连飞翔在空中的大雁也为之着迷。当大雁看到西施时，都忘记了飞翔，纷纷降落到沙洲上，不敢高飞。西施的美貌不仅让鱼儿沉入水底，也让大雁落入沙洲，因此后人将西施的美貌称为“沉鱼落雁”。后来，汉元帝时期的王昭君，更是以绝世的美貌，同样也展现出“落雁”的美丽。王昭君在出塞嫁给匈奴单于的途中，她乘坐的马车缓缓行进，她那绝世的美貌，让随行的雁群都为之惊叹，纷纷忘记了飞翔，落在了沙地上，形成了“落雁”的景象，这更加巩固了“沉鱼落雁”的含义。
During the Warring States period, there was an extremely beautiful woman named Xishi in Yue. One day, she was washing silk by the river. Her natural beauty and stunning appearance were astonishing. As she bent down to wash, the fish in the clear river were so captivated by her beauty that they could not surface out of shame and sank to the bottom. Xishi's beauty not only captivated the fish, but also the flying wild geese. When the geese saw Xishi, they forgot to fly and landed on sandbanks instead of flying high. Xishi's beauty caused not only the fish to sink in the water, but also the geese to land on sandbanks. Therefore, later generations refer to Xishi's beauty as “fish sinking, geese landing”. Later, during the time of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, Wang Zhaojun, with her extraordinary appearance, also showcased the beauty of “geese landing”. On her way north to marry the Xiongnu Khan, her carriage moved slowly forward. Her extraordinary appearance captivated the accompanying geese to such an extent that they forgot to fly and landed on the ground, creating the image of “geese landing”. This further solidified the meaning of “fish sinking, geese landing”.
Usage
用于形容女子容貌美丽动人。
Used to describe a woman's beauty and charm.
Examples
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西施的容貌真是沉鱼落雁，闭月羞花。
xi shi de rong mao zhen shi chen yu luo yan biyuexiu hua
Xishi's beauty is truly breathtaking.
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她天生丽质，沉鱼落雁，倾国倾城。
ta tiansheng li zhi chen yu luo yan qing guo qing cheng
She is naturally beautiful, breathtaking, and stunningly beautiful.