洞若观火 dòng ruò guān huǒ See through things like watching a fire

Explanation

形容观察事物非常清楚，好象看火一样。比喻对事物了解透彻，能明察秋毫。

Describes a person's ability to observe things very clearly, as if watching a fire. It is a metaphor for understanding things thoroughly and being able to see the smallest details.

Origin Story

在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位名叫老张的老人。老张一生勤劳朴实，精通草药，常常为村民们治病救人。一天，村里来了一个年轻的书生，他衣着华丽，举止文雅，但看起来却有些心不在焉。村民们都很好奇，便纷纷向老张询问。 老张笑着说：“这位书生啊，他啊，就是传说中的‘洞若观火’。他虽然看起来心不在焉，但其实对周围的一切都了如指掌。他就像一只老鹰，目光锐利，可以洞察一切。不信你们看他，现在正在观察村里的人和事呢！” 村民们听了老张的话，仔细观察那个书生。只见他看似漫无目的地四处走动，但目光却始终落在村民们身上，偶尔还会露出若有所思的神情。村民们这才明白，老张说的果然没错，这个书生真的“洞若观火”。 书生在村里住了几天，就离开了。临走的时候，他向老张道谢，说：“多谢老先生的指点，我这次来村里，就是想看看民间百姓的生活，学习他们的智慧。老先生的‘洞若观火’之眼，让我受益匪浅。” 老张微微一笑，说道：“年轻人，你要记住，想要洞若观火，就要用心观察，才能真正了解事物。就像我们看火一样，看似平静，其实暗藏玄机。只有用心去看，才能发现其中的奥妙。” 从此以后，这个书生再也没有心不在焉，而是用心观察周围的一切，努力学习，终于成为了一个德才兼备的贤才。

zài yī gè piān pì de xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào lǎo zhāng de lǎo rén. lǎo zhāng yī shēng qín láo pǔ shí, jīng tōng cǎo yào, cháng cháng wèi cūn mín men zhì bìng jiù rén. yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le yī gè nián qīng de shū shēng, tā yī zhuó huá lì, jǔ zhǐ wén yǎ, dàn kàn qǐ lái què yǒu xiē xīn bù zài yān. cūn mín men dōu hěn hǎo qí, biàn fēn fēn xiàng lǎo zhāng xún wèn. lǎo zhāng xiào zhe shuō: “zhè wèi shū shēng a, tā a, jiù shì chuán shuō zhōng de ‘dòng ruò guān huǒ’. tā suī rán kàn qǐ lái xīn bù zài yān, dàn qí shí duì zhōu wéi de yī qiè dōu liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng. tā jiù xiàng yī zhī lǎo yīng, mù guāng ruì lì, kě yǐ dòng chá yī qiè. bù xìn nǐ men kàn tā, xiàn zài zhèng zài guān chá cūn lǐ de rén hé shì ne!” cūn mín men tīng le lǎo zhāng de huà, zǐ xì guān chá nà gè shū shēng. zhī jiàn tā kàn sì màn wú mù dì de sì chù zǒu dòng, dàn mù guāng què shǐ zhōng luò zài cūn mín men shēn shàng, ǒu ěr hái huì lòu chū ruò yǒu suǒ sī de shén qíng. cūn mín men cái míng bai, lǎo zhāng shuō de guǒ rán méi cuò, zhè gè shū shēng zhēn de “dòng ruò guān huǒ”. shū shēng zài cūn lǐ zhù le jǐ tiān, jiù lí kāi le. lín zǒu de shí hòu, tā xiàng lǎo zhāng dào xiè, shuō: “duō xiè lǎo xiān shēng de zhǐ diǎn, wǒ zhè cì lái cūn lǐ, jiù shì xiǎng kàn kàn mín jiān bǎi xìng de shēng huó, xué xí tā men de zhì huì. lǎo xiān shēng de ‘dòng ruò guān huǒ’ zhī yǎn, ràng wǒ shòu yì fēi qiǎn.” lǎo zhāng wēi wēi yī xiào, shuō dào: “nián qīng rén, nǐ yào jì zhù, xiǎng yào dòng ruò guān huǒ, jiù yào yòng xīn guān chá, cái néng zhēn zhèng liǎo jiě shì wù. jiù xiàng wǒ men kàn huǒ yī yàng, kàn sì píng jìng, qí shí àn cáng xuán jī. zhī yǒu yòng xīn qù kàn, cái néng fā xiàn qí zhōng de áo miào.” cóng cǐ yǐ hòu, zhè gè shū shēng zài méi yǒu xīn bù zài yān, ér shì yòng xīn guān chá zhōu wéi de yī qiè, nǔ lì xué xí, zhōng yú chéng wéi le yī gè dé cái jiān bèi de xián cái.

In a remote mountain village lived an old man named Zhang. Zhang was hardworking and honest all his life, and he was skilled in herbal medicine, often treating and rescuing villagers. One day, a young scholar came to the village, he was dressed in fine clothes, behaved politely, but seemed a little absent-minded. The villagers were curious, and they asked Zhang about him. Zhang smiled and said, "This scholar, he is the legendary '洞若观火'. He may seem absent-minded, but in reality, he is aware of everything around him. He is like an eagle, with sharp eyes, he can see through everything. Don't believe me? Watch him, he is now observing the people and things in the village!" The villagers listened to Zhang's words and carefully observed the scholar. He seemed to be walking around aimlessly, but his eyes were always fixed on the villagers, and occasionally he would show a thoughtful expression. The villagers then realized that Zhang was right, the scholar was truly '洞若观火'. The scholar stayed in the village for a few days and then left. As he was leaving, he thanked Zhang and said, "Thank you for your guidance. I came to this village to see the life of ordinary people and learn their wisdom. Your '洞若观火' eyes have benefited me greatly." Zhang smiled slightly and said, "Young man, you must remember that to be '洞若观火', you must observe carefully, so you can truly understand things. Just like when we look at a fire, it seems calm, but actually, it is full of mystery. Only by looking carefully can you discover its secrets." From that day on, the scholar was no longer absent-minded, but carefully observed everything around him and studied hard, and finally became a talented and virtuous scholar.

Usage

形容对事态发展和问题本质认识清楚，能预料到事情的趋势和结果。常用来比喻对事物观察透彻，能明察秋毫。

xíng róng duì shì tài fā zhǎn hé wèn tí běn zhì rèn shí qīng chǔ, néng yù liào dào shì qíng de qū shì hé jié guǒ. cháng yòng lái bǐ yù duì shì wù guān chá tòu chè, néng míng chá qiū háo.

Describes the ability to clearly understand the development of events and the nature of problems, the ability to predict the trend and outcome of things. It is often used to describe the ability to observe things thoroughly and recognize the smallest details.

Examples

• 他一眼就看出了问题的关键，真是洞若观火。

  tā yī yǎn jiù kàn chū le wèn tí de guān jiàn, zhēn shì dòng ruò guān huǒ.

  He saw the key to the problem at a glance, it was like watching a fire.

• 面对复杂的局势，他洞若观火，制定了周密的计划。

  miàn duì fú zá de jú shì, tā dòng ruò guān huǒ, zhì dìng le zhōu mì de jì huà.

  Facing the complex situation, he was like watching a fire, and he made a detailed plan.

Related Idioms

• 洞察秋毫

• 明察秋毫

• 一目了然

Opposite Idioms

• 雾里看花

• 一无所知

• 不明所以