This is the legend that underpins the idiom “画龙点睛”, which typically describes the use of a couple of perfectly-chosen words or sentences, added a critical moment in written works or spoken arguments, which illuminate a deeper meaning and give the content more power. The story itself, though, it about dragons, and is only tied to that concept in the loosest way.
传说古时候有个画家叫张僧繇，他画龙画得特别好。
有一次，他在金陵（现在南京）安乐寺的墙壁上画了四条巨龙，那龙画得活灵活现，非常逼真，只是都没有眼睛。人们问张僧繇：“为什么不把眼睛画出来？”
他说：“眼睛可不能轻易画呀！一画了，龙就会腾空飞走的！”
大家听了，谁也不信，都认为他在说大话。后来，经不起人们一再请求，张僧繇只好答应把龙的眼睛画出来。奇怪的事情果然发生了，他刚刚点出第二条龙的眼睛，突然刮起了大风，顷刻间电闪雷鸣。两条巨龙转动着光芒四射的眼睛冲天而起，腾空而去。围观的人，个个看得目瞪口呆，对张僧繇更佩服了。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 古时 | gǔ shí | antiquity |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 画家 | huà jiā | painter; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 张 | Zhāng | surname Zhang |
| 僧 | ||
| 繇 | ||
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint; picture; painting (CL:幅[fu2],張|张[zhang1]); to draw (a line) (variant of 劃|划[hua4]); stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 劃|划[hua4]); (calligraphy) horizonta… |
| 龙 | Lóng | surname Long |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 特别 | tè bié | unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose; (often followed by 是[shi4]) in particular |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 有一次 | yǒu yī cì | once; once upon a time |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 金 | Jīn | surname Jin; surname Kim (Korean); Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) |
| 陵 | līng | mound; hill |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 南京 | Nán jīng | see 南京市[Nan2 jing1 Shi4]; Nanjing, capital of the Ming dynasty (1368–1421) and of the Republic of China (1927–1937 and 1946–1949) |
| 安 | An | surname An |
| 乐 | Lè | surname Le |
| 寺 | sì | Buddhist temple; mosque; government office (old) |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 墙 | qiáng | variant of 牆|墙[qiang2]; wall (CL:面[mian4],堵[du3]); (slang) to block (a website) (usu. in the passive: 被牆|被墙[bei4 qiang2]) |
| 壁 | bǐ | wall |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 四条 | sì tiáo | four of a kind; quads (poker) |
| 巨龙 | jù lóng | gigantic dragon (lit. and fig.); titanosaur (abbr. for 泰坦巨龍|泰坦巨龙[tai4 tan3 ju4 long2]); (slang) big dick; schlong |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 灵 | līng | quick; efficacious; to come true; departed soul |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 逼 | bi | to pressure |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 出 | chū | to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield; to go beyond; to exceed; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for…; variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 可不 | kě bu | see 可不是[ke3 bu5 shi4] |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 轻 | qīng | light; easy; gentle; soft; reckless; unimportant; frivolous; small in number; unstressed; neutral; to disparage |
| 易 | Yì | surname Yi; I Ching; Book of Changes (abbr. for 易經|易经[Yi4 jing1]) |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 腾空 | téng kōng | to rise into the air; to become airborne |
| 飞 | fēi | to fly |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 认为 | rèn wéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 经不起 | jīng bu qǐ | can't stand it; to be unable to bear; to be unable to resist |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 求 | qíu | to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech |
| 只好 | zhǐ hǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to |
| 答应 | dā ying | to answer; to respond; to answer positively; to agree; to accept; to promise |
| 奇 | jī | odd (number) |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1] |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 发生 | fā shēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out |
| 刚刚 | gāng gang | just recently; just a moment ago |
| 点出 | diǎn chū | to point out; to indicate |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 突然 | tū rán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 刮 | guā | to scrape; to blow; to shave; to plunder; to extort; to blow (of the wind) |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 大风 | dà fēng | gale; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 顷 | ||
| 刻 | kè | quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals |
| 间 | jiān | between; among; within a definite time or space; room; section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars; classifier for rooms |
| 电 | diàn | lightning; electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etc |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
| 雷鸣 | léi míng | thunder rolls |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 转动 | zhuǎn dòng | to turn sth around; to swivel |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray (CL:道[dao4]); bright; shiny; only; merely; used up; finished; to leave (a part of the body) uncovered |
| 芒 | māng | awn (of grain); blade; sharp point; brilliance (in 光芒) |
| 四射 | sì shè | to radiate all around |
| 冲 | chong | (of water) to dash against; to infuse; to flush; to rise in the air; to collide with |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 围观 | wéi guān | to stand in a circle and watch |
| 个个 | gè gè | each one individually; each and every |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 目 | mù | eye; (literary) to look; to regard; eye (of a net); mesh; mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數|目数[mu4 shu4]); item; section; list; catalogue; (taxonomy) order; name; title |
| 瞪 | děng | to open (one's eyes) wide; to glare at |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 呆 | dai | foolish; stupid |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 佩 | pěi | to respect |
| 服 | fú | clothes; dress; garment; to serve (in the military, a prison sentence etc); to obey; to be convinced (by an argument); to convince; to admire; to acclimatize; to take (medicine); m… |
Legend has it that in ancient times there was a painter named Zhang Sengyao, and he drew dragons very well.
One time, he painted four giant dragons on a wall at Anle Temple in Jinlong (present-day Nanjing). The dragons were vividly drawn, extremely lifelike, but they didn’t have eyes. Peopled asked Zhang Sengyao：”Why don’t you draw the eyes?”
He said: “The eyes can’t be painted on rashly! Once they’re drawn, the dragons will take to the air and fly away!”
Everyone listened, but no one believed, everyone thought he was bragging. Later, he couldn’t bear people coming repeatedly to beg him, so Zhang Sengyao had to agree to paint eyes on the dragons. The strange event happened as expected, he had just draw the eyes on the second dragon, when suddenly a big wind gusted up, and in an instant lightning flashed and thunder sounded. Two giant dragons, casting about with beams of light radiating from their eyes, rose charging towards the sky, and took off into the air. Each of the bystanders looked on dumbfounded, and admired Zhang Sengyao even more.