画中有诗

Pronunciation: huà zhōng yǒu shī Literal meaning: Poetry within a painting

Origin & Usage

Su Shi wrote a matched pair about Wang Wei, who was both a major poet and a major painter: 味摩诘之诗，诗中有画；观摩诘之画，画中有诗 — taste his poems and there is painting in the poems; look at his paintings and there is poetry in the painting. The two halves are normally quoted together and the second became the idiom on its own. It describes art carrying more than its medium seems able to hold, and it has been the standard compliment for Chinese landscape painting ever since.

Examples

English: "The artist's work transcends mere visuals, evoking deep emotions and thoughts"

Chinese: 这位艺术家的作品超越了单纯的视觉，唤起了深刻的情感和思考