2 Chinese Idioms from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙)
The chengyu spoken in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — the title idiom itself and 心诚则灵 from Lo's desert legend.
Ang Lee's 2000 wuxia classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙) is named after a chengyu — and weaves another into its dialogue. The characters' names — Xiaohu (小虎, little tiger) and Jiaolong (蛟龙, delicate dragon) — mirror the title's hidden tiger and dragon.
卧虎藏龙
wò hǔ cáng lóngHidden talents or extraordinary people in an unassuming place
Literal: Crouching tiger, hidden dragon
This idiom describes a crouching (卧) tiger (虎) and a hidden (藏) dragon (龙). It originates from the Northern Zhou poet Yu Xin's (庾信, 513–581) poem '同会河阳公新造山地聊得寓目', which contains the line '暗石疑藏虎，盘根似卧龙' (dark stones seem to conceal tigers, gnarled roots resemble a reclining dragon). The phrase describ...
Example
This quiet neighborhood is full of hidden talent — a true case of crouching tiger, hidden dragon.
江湖里卧虎藏龙，人心里何尝不是？
心诚则灵
xīn chéng zé língGenuine sincerity brings results; a faithful heart makes wishes come true
Literal: A sincere heart achieves the divine
This idiom states that the heart (心), when sincere (诚), then (则) achieves spiritual efficacy (灵). It originates from Buddhist devotional practice, where worshippers are taught that sincere prayer brings genuine results. The concept also connects to Confucian ideas in the Classic of Rites (礼记) about ...
Example
She believed that if she studied with genuine dedication, results would follow — a sincere heart achieves the divine.
真心的，就会实现。我问过汉人，他们说是——心诚则灵。
Quick Reference
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