匠心独运

Pronunciation: jiàng xīn dú yùn Literal meaning: Craftsman's heart uniquely operates

Origin & Usage

The craftsman's conception (匠心) applied (运) as nobody else would (独). The characters are those of 独具匠心 rearranged, and the difference is between having the idea and working it out — 运 is to move or operate, so this phrase covers the execution the other one stops short of. Chinese uses them almost interchangeably, with this form appearing more often in criticism of a finished thing, where the evidence of the conception is visible in what was made.

Examples

English: "The film director's creative vision produced a masterpiece."

Chinese: 电影导演匠心独运，创作出一部杰作。