天花乱坠
天花乱坠 (tiān huā luàn zhuì) literally means “heavenly flowers fall chaotically” and expresses “exaggerated speech”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: tian hua luan zhui, tian hua luan zhui,天花乱坠 meaning, 天花乱坠 in english
Exaggerated speech
Pronunciation: tiān huā luàn zhuì Literal meaning: Heavenly flowers fall chaotically
Origin & Usage
A Buddhist sutra describes heavenly flowers (天花) falling in confusion (乱坠) as a sermon is preached, and the tale attached to it has a monk expounding so movingly before Emperor Wu of Liang that blossoms came down out of the sky. The idiom has kept the image and reversed the verdict entirely. It now describes talk that is beautiful, fluent and not to be believed — sales patter, prospectuses, promises — and it is the standard Chinese warning that a description has outrun the thing described.
Examples
English: "Her speech was so beautiful that it captivated everyone in the audience."
Chinese: 她的演讲天花乱坠，令人陶醉。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
普天同庆
pǔ tiān tóng qìng
Shared celebration
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乱七八糟
luàn qī bā zāo
Complete disorganization and messiness
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黄粱一梦
huáng liáng yī mèng
Ephemeral dreams
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弄假成真
nòng jiǎ chéng zhēn
Reality from pretense
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穷途末路
qióng tú mò lù
No options left
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一丝不挂
yī sī bù guà
Stark naked; wholly unattached
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白驹过隙
bái jū guò xì
Time flies swiftly
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痴人说梦
chī rén shuō mèng
Nonsensical talk
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 天花乱坠 mean in English?
天花乱坠 (tiān huā luàn zhuì) literally translates to “Heavenly flowers fall chaotically” and is used to express “Exaggerated speech”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 天花乱坠 used?
Situation: Her speech was so beautiful that it captivated everyone in the audience.
What is the pinyin for 天花乱坠?
The pinyin pronunciation for 天花乱坠 is “tiān huā luàn zhuì”.