浑然天成 (hún rán tiān chéng) — so perfectly natural that it seems created by heaven; seamless; exquisite (of art, performance, etc.)

Definition

Idiom praising work (art, writing, performance) that looks so natural and flawless it seems to have been made by heaven itself. Highlights the absence of any visible craft or effort.

idiom
so perfectly natural that it seems created by heavenseamlessexquisite (of art, performance, etc.)

Examples

  • 浑然天成，。
    Zhè fú huà de gòu tú hé sè cǎi hún rán tiān chéng, kàn bù chū rèn hé rén gōng hén jì.
    The composition and colors of this painting are so naturally perfect that no artificial traces can be seen.
  • 浑然天成，。
    Tā de biǎo yǎn hún rán tiān chéng, gǎn qíng biǎo dá fēi cháng zì rán.
    His performance was so naturally perfect that the emotional expression was very natural.
  • ，浑然天成，。
    Zhè shǒu shī de yǔ yán yōu měi liú chàng, hún rán tiān chéng, háo wú diāo zhuó zhī gǎn.
    The language of this poem is beautiful and fluent, naturally perfect, with no sense of artificiality.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

浑然naturally
浑húnwhole然ránsuffix
后缀Suffix
天成heaven-made
天tiānheaven成chéngcreate
主谓Subject + predicate

The natural wholeness of 浑然 and the heaven-made sense of 天成 together describe something perfectly natural.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 渾; 浑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn渾hún
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 渾 pairs 氵 (river) with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 浑 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 浑 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.