Definify.com
Definition 2024
傾國
傾國
Chinese
to overturn; to collapse; to lean; to tend; to incline; to pour out
|
country; state; nation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (傾國) | 傾 | 國 | |
| simp. (倾国) | 倾 | 国 | |
Noun
傾國
- (archaic) a drop-dead gorgeous woman; a beauty who could drive a man to distraction; a woman so beautiful, that he might be tempted to ignore his duties at court, and thus bring about the downfall of his empire
Related terms
Notes
- ↑ A reference to the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, whose relationship to Yang Guifei brought to mind the Emperor Wu of Han's relationship to his concubine, Consort Li. Bai Juyi would have considered it unpoetic to refer to his subject directly.