画龙点睛 huà lóng diǎn jīng Add the finishing touch

Explanation

比喻在关键处添加精彩的语句或细节，使文章或讲话更生动有力。

A metaphor for adding vivid details at key points in an article or speech to make it more lively and effective.

Origin Story

南朝梁代著名画家张僧繇，技艺高超，善于画龙。梁武帝在金陵建安乐寺，请他画壁画。张僧繇画了四条栩栩如生的龙，但都未点眼睛。有人问他为什么，他说：“点睛之后，龙就会飞走。”人们半信半疑，坚持要他点上龙眼。张僧繇提起笔，先给两条龙点上了眼睛，顿时雷声大作，两条龙腾云驾雾，直冲云霄，飞走了。另外两条龙因为没有点睛，仍然留在墙壁上。这个故事说明，有时候在关键之处加一笔，就能起到意想不到的效果，使作品更显精彩。这就像写文章一样，如果能够在关键处抓住重点，用精辟的语言点明主旨，就能使文章更加生动传神，引人入胜。

náncháo liáng dài zhùmíng huàjiā zhāng sēngyóu, jìyì gāochāo, shàn yú huà lóng. liáng wǔdì zài jīnlíng jiàn ānlè sì, qǐng tā huà bìhuà. zhāng sēngyóu huà le sì tiáo xǔxǔ shēngdòng de lóng, dàn dōu wèi diǎn yǎnjīng. yǒurén wèn tā wèishénme, tā shuō: “diǎn jīng zhīhòu, lóng jiù huì fēi zǒu.” rénmen bàn xìnbàn yí, jiānchí yào tā diǎn shàng lóng yǎn. zhāng sēngyóu tí qǐ bǐ, xiān gěi liǎng tiáo lóng diǎn shàng le yǎnjīng, dānshí léishēng dàzuò, liǎng tiáo lóng téngyúnjiàwù, zhí chōng yúnxiāo, fēi zǒule. lìngwài liǎng tiáo lóng yīnwèi méiyǒu diǎnjīng, réngrán liú zài qiángbì shàng. zhège gùshì shuōmíng, yǒushíhòu zài guānjiàn zhī chù jiā yì bǐ, jiù néng qǐdào yì xiǎngbùdào de xiàoguǒ, shǐ zuòpǐn gèng xiǎn jīngcǎi. zhè jiù xiàng xiě wénzhāng yīyàng, rúguǒ nénggòu zài guānjiàn chù zhuā zhù zhòngdiǎn, yòng jīngpì de yǔyán diǎnmíng zhǔzhǐ, jiù néng shǐ wénzhāng gèngjiā shēngdòng chuánshén, yǐnrénrùshèng.

Zhang Sengyou, a famous painter from the Southern Liang Dynasty, was highly skilled in painting dragons. Emperor Wu of Liang commissioned him to paint murals in the Anle Temple in Jinling. Zhang Sengyou painted four lifelike dragons, but all without eyes. When asked why, he said, "Once I give them eyes, they will fly away." People were skeptical, insisting he add the eyes. Zhang Sengyou picked up his brush, first giving two dragons their eyes. Instantly, thunder roared, and the two dragons ascended to the heavens. The other two dragons, without eyes, remained on the wall. This story illustrates that sometimes a touch at a critical point can have unexpected results, making the artwork more spectacular.

Usage

用于比喻在关键处添加点睛之笔，使整体更完美。

yòng yú bǐyù zài guānjiàn chù tiānjiā diǎnjīng zhī bǐ, shǐ zhěngtǐ gèng wánměi.

Used to illustrate how adding a crucial detail can enhance an overall picture.

Examples

• 他的文章，恰到好处地运用比喻，真是画龙点睛之笔。

  tā de wénzhāng, qià dào hǎochù de yòngyùn bǐyù, zhēnshi huà lóng diǎn jīng zhī bǐ.

  His article uses metaphors just right, it's a stroke of genius.

• 这篇论文，虽然论证严密，但缺乏生动形象的例子，可谓画龙点睛之处不足。

  zhè piān lùnwén, suīrán lùnzèng yánmì, dàn quēfá shēngdòng xíngxiàng de lìzi, kěwèi huà lóng diǎn jīng zhī chù bùzú

  This paper, though rigorously argued, lacks vivid examples; the key points are insufficient

Related Idioms

• 点石成金

• 锦上添花

Opposite Idioms

• 画蛇添足

• 适得其反