春风得意
- Literal
- spring wind, wish fulfilled
- Figurative
- Riding high and visibly pleased after a success, a promotion or a lucky streak; said of someone at their peak, sometimes with irony.
Where does 春风得意 come from?
It comes from 《登科后》, the poem the Tang poet Meng Jiao wrote when he finally passed the imperial examination after years of trying. Having said that the hardships of the past are no longer worth recalling, he ends: flushed with the spring wind, he rides so fast that in a single day he sees all the flowers of Chang'an. It is the same couplet that gave rise to 走马观花. In the poem, 春风得意 was the elation of someone who has finally made it; today it describes anyone on a run of success who shows it, at work, in school or in private life, sometimes with a touch of irony.
Source (出处): 孟郊《登科后》
How is 春风得意 used? Two examples
- 他刚升了职，最近春风得意，走路都带着笑。
He just got promoted and has been riding high lately; he even walks around with a smile on his face.
- 表哥考上了研究生，又交了女朋友，这阵子春风得意。
My cousin got into grad school and has a new girlfriend on top of that; he's on top of the world these days.
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