妙手回春 (miào shǒu huí chūn) — (idiom) to have such superb medical skill that one can bring the dying back to health; miraculous cure

Definition

A chengyu praising a doctor whose skill is so extraordinary it seems to turn dying patients healthy again. Used only for medical skill, never for general talent or success.

idiom
to have such superb medical skill that one can bring the dying back to healthmiraculous cure

Examples

  • 妙手回春，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo zhōng yī miào shǒu huí chūn, jiù huó le xǔ duō wēi zhòng bìng rén.
    This old Chinese medicine doctor performed miraculous cures and saved many critically ill patients.
  • 妙手回春，。
    Dà jiā dōu chēng zàn nà wèi wài kē yī shēng miào shǒu huí chūn, shǒu shù fēi cháng chéng gōng.
    Everyone praised that surgeon for his amazing medical skill; the operation was very successful.
  • 妙手回春，。
    Gǎn xiè lǐ yī shēng miào shǒu huí chūn, ràng wǒ chóng xīn huī fù le jiàn kāng.
    Thank you, Dr. Li, for your miraculous medical skill—you restored my health.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo妙miào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

妙 combines 女, a woman, with 少, which gives the sound.

Open 妙 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún春chūn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

春 combines 艸 (grass) and 日 (sun) with 屯, which supplies the sound and is described as a swollen sprout.

Open 春 →

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