雕栏玉砌 diāo lán yù qì carved balustrades and jade-paved courtyards

Explanation

雕栏玉砌形容富丽堂皇的建筑物，多指宫殿楼阁等。

The idiom describes magnificent buildings, mostly palaces and pavilions.

Origin Story

南唐后主李煜被俘后，回忆往昔金陵宫殿的繁华景象，不禁感叹道：雕栏玉砌应犹在，只是朱颜改。这句词表达了他对故国往昔繁华的怀念，以及对自身命运的悲叹。南唐的宫殿，雕栏玉砌，富丽堂皇，是当时中国最繁华的城市之一。如今，国破家亡，这一切都已成为过去。李煜的词，不仅展现了南唐宫殿的辉煌，更表达了词人亡国之痛和内心的悲凉。他虽然身处囚笼，却依然思念着故国，思念着宫殿里曾经的繁华景象。

nán táng hòu zhǔ lǐ yù bèi fú hòu，huí yì wǎng xī jīn líng gōng diàn de fán huá jǐng xiàng，bù jīn gǎn tàn dào：diāo lán yù qì yīng yóu zài，zhǐ shì zhū yán gǎi。zhè jù cí biǎo dá le tā duì gù guó wǎng xī fán huá de huái niàn，yǐ jí duì zì shēn mìng yùn de bēi tàn。nán táng de gōng diàn，diāo lán yù qì，fù lì táng huáng，shì dāng shí zhōng guó zuì fán huá de chéng shì zhī yī。rú jīn，guó pò jiā wáng，zhè yī qiè dōu yǐ chéng wéi guò qù。lǐ yù de cí，bù jǐn zhǎn xiàn le nán táng gōng diàn de huī huáng，gèng biǎo dá le cí rén wáng guó zhī tòng hé nèi xīn de bēi liáng。tā suī rán shēn chù qiú lóng，què yī rán sī niàn zhe gù guó，sī niàn zhe gōng diàn lǐ céng jīng de fán huá jǐng xiàng。

After being captured, the last emperor of Southern Tang, Li Yu, recalled the prosperity of the Jinling Palace in the past and sighed: "The carved balustrades and jade-paved courtyards should still be there, only my rosy face has changed." This line expresses his yearning for the former prosperity of his country and his lament for his own fate. The palaces of Southern Tang, with their carved balustrades and jade-paved courtyards, were among the most prosperous cities in China at that time. Now, the country is destroyed and his family is ruined, and all this has become a thing of the past. Li Yu's words not only show the glory of the Southern Tang Palace, but also express the emperor's pain and sadness over the loss of his country. Although he is in prison, he still misses his former country and the once prosperous scene of the palace.

Usage

用于描写建筑物，多指宫殿、楼阁等华丽的建筑。

yòng yú miáo xiě jiàn zhù wù，duō zhǐ gōng diàn、lóu gé děng huá lì de jiàn zhù。

Used to describe buildings, mostly magnificent palaces and pavilions.

Examples

• 故宫的雕栏玉砌，精美绝伦。

  gù gōng de diāo lán yù qì，jīng měi jué lún

  The exquisite carvings and elegant stonework of the Forbidden City are breathtaking.

• 这首词描写了雕栏玉砌的宫殿，以及词人内心的悲凉。

  zhè shǒu cí miáo xiě le diāo lán yù qì de gōng diàn，yǐ jí cí rén nèi xīn de bēi liáng

  This poem depicts the magnificent palaces with carved balustrades and jade-paved courtyards, and the poet's inner sadness.

Related Idioms

• 雕梁画栋

• 富丽堂皇

Opposite Idioms

• 简陋

• 破败