五体投地

五體投地

wǔtǐtóudì

idiom #30,466

Meanings

1 to prostrate oneself in admiration
2 to be utterly impressed
3 to admire someone to the highest degree

Characters

to throw, to cast

Examples

他的才华让我佩服得五体投地。

Tā de cáihuá ràng wǒ pèifú de wǔtǐtóudì.

His talent makes me admire him to the utmost.

对你的厨艺，我五体投地。

Duì nǐ de chúyì, wǒ wǔtǐtóudì.

I bow down to your cooking skills.

Tips

history

From Xuanzang's Tang-dynasty 《大唐西域记》 (Records of the Western Regions), describing the highest of nine grades of Buddhist salutation: touching the ground with the 'five parts' (两手 two hands, 两膝 two knees, 头 head) — i.e. full prostration. Today used figuratively for total admiration, almost always with 佩服 (pèifú) — 佩服得五体投地 is the standard collocation.

Stroke Order

五 wǔ

体 tǐ

投 tóu

地 dì