引人入胜
- Literal
- to lead people into the beautiful place
- Figurative
- So absorbing or so beautiful that it pulls you right in; said of books, movies, exhibits, and scenery.
Where does 引人入胜 come from?
The key is 胜, which here does not mean "to win" but 胜境, a place of great beauty. Dictionaries trace the phrase back to a remark recorded in 《世说新语》 to the effect that wine carries a person off to a lovely place — that is, into a pleasant state of mind. There is no cast of characters behind it: what survives is the image of being carried away. From there it came to be said of anything —a text, a film, a museum, a mountain trail— that pulls whoever follows it along.
Source (出处): 《世说新语》
How is 引人入胜 used? Two examples
- 这部纪录片的开头就很引人入胜。
The opening of this documentary alone already draws you in.
- 他讲课很会讲故事，内容引人入胜，谁都不会走神。
He tells stories when he teaches, and it's so absorbing that nobody zones out.
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