倾国倾城
qīng guó qīng chéng
of a woman: beautiful enough to topple cities and kingdoms; stunningly beautiful
Character by character
倾qīng
topple
topple
国guó
state
state
倾qīng
topple
topple
城chéng
city
city
Example
电影里的女主角美得倾国倾城，男主角对她一见钟情。
The heroine of the film is breathtakingly beautiful, and the hero falls for her at first sight.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
From the Han musician 李延年’s song: 一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国 (one glance topples a city, a second a kingdom). Said only of a woman’s beauty. 张爱玲’s title 《倾城之恋》 takes it literally: a love made by the fall of a city.
Learn this in Lesson 223 · HSK 9+: 张爱玲：红玫瑰与白玫瑰 (Eileen Chang: red rose, white rose)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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