娓娓道来 (wěi wěi dào lái) — to narrate or speak in a lively, engaging, and continuous manner

Definition

A chengyu meaning to narrate or recount something vividly, fluently, and with engaging detail — usually storytelling or personal experiences told in a captivating way.

idiom
to narrate or speak in a livelyengagingand continuous manner

Examples

  • 娓娓道来，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo jiào shòu bǎ lì shǐ gù shi wěi wěi dào lái, xué shēng men tīng dé rù le mí.
    The old professor narrated the historical stories so vividly that the students were spellbound.
  • 娓娓道来，。
    Tā wěi wěi dào lái dì miáo shù zhe tóng nián de qù shì, dà jiā dōu xiào dé hěn kāi xīn.
    He described his childhood anecdotes in a lively way, and everyone laughed happily.
  • 娓娓道来。
    Zuò zhě zài shū zhōng wěi wěi dào lái le zì jǐ duō nián piāo bó de jīng lì.
    In the book, the author unfolded the story of his many years of wandering in a captivating way.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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