柳暗花明
- Literal
- willows in shade, flowers in light
- Figurative
- Just when it seemed there was no way out, a hopeful turn suddenly appears. It can also describe a lush, flowering landscape, though today the figurative sense is the common one.
Where does 柳暗花明 come from?
It comes from a poem by Lu You, "A Visit to a Village West of the Mountain," written while the poet, removed from office, was living quietly back home. Walking among hills and streams, he reaches a point where the path seems to end, and then the view opens up: "mountains upon mountains, streams upon streams, and you'd swear there is no road; then shady willows and bright flowers, and another village." The couplet became proverbial, and the second half gave the idiom its meaning: the moment when, just as everything seemed closed off, a way opens.
Source (出处): 陆游《游山西村》
How is 柳暗花明 used? Two examples
- 本来以为没救了，没想到柳暗花明，客户又回来了。
I'd written it off, and then out of nowhere things turned around — the client came back.
- 找了三个月工作，终于柳暗花明。
Three months of job hunting, and at last a door opened.
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