水漫金山

shuǐmànjīnshān

idiom

Meanings

1 water floods Jinshan Temple
2 a catastrophic flood; (orig.) the White Snake's siege of Jinshan

Characters

to overflow; to inundate

gold; Jin(shan)

Examples

大雨下了一整夜，街道简直是水漫金山。

Dà yǔ xià le yī zhěng yè, jiēdào jiǎnzhí shì shuǐmànjīnshān.

It rained all night and the streets looked like the Jinshan flood.

这段戏讲的就是白娘子水漫金山的故事。

Zhè duàn xì jiǎng de jiùshì Bái Niángzǐ shuǐmànjīnshān de gùshi.

This scene tells the story of Lady White flooding Jinshan.

水龙头没关，厨房已经水漫金山了。

Shuǐlóngtóu méi guān, chúfáng yǐjīng shuǐmànjīnshān le.

The tap wasn't turned off — the kitchen is already a total flood.

Tips

history

From 《白雪遗音·马头调·雷峰塔》 and the broader 白蛇传 (Legend of the White Snake): after the monk Fahai at Jinshan Temple refuses to release her husband Xu Xian, the White Snake summons shrimp soldiers and crab generals to flood the temple. Hence 水漫金山 = a huge, sweeping flood.

culture

Deeply tied to one of China's Four Great Folktales. The real Jinshan Temple (金山寺) sits in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu — still a major tourist site tied to the legend.

Stroke Order

水 shuǐ

漫 màn

金 jīn

山 shān