油然而生

yóurán'érshēng

idiom #35,682

Meanings

1 to well up spontaneously
2 (of an emotion) to arise unbidden
3 to come over one involuntarily

Characters

oil; (here) welling up

(adverbial suffix) -ly

to arise; to be born

Examples

看到这片壮丽的景色，敬畏之情油然而生。

Kàndào zhè piàn zhuànglì de jǐngsè, jìngwèi zhī qíng yóurán'érshēng.

Seeing this magnificent scene, a feeling of awe welled up unbidden.

听到国歌响起，自豪感油然而生。

Tīngdào guógē xiǎngqǐ, zìháo gǎn yóurán'érshēng.

Hearing the national anthem begin, a sense of pride rose up on its own.

Tips

history

From Su Xun's (苏洵) 《族谱引》 (Song dynasty): reading the genealogy, feelings of filial piety and brotherly love '油然而生' — rise up naturally, like water welling up. The idiom pictures spontaneous emotion, not deliberated feeling.

Stroke Order

油 yóu

然 rán

而 ér

生 shēng