步步莲花
【Source】 History of the Southern Dynasties-Annals of Qi，compiled and edited by Li Yanshou (birth and death years
unknown) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
【出处】《南史·齐本纪下》：“又凿金为莲华以帖地，令潘妃行其上，曰：‘此步步生莲华也。’”
【Interpretation】 Originally used to describe a woman’s light and beautiful？gait； later often used to imply things getting
better.
【释意】原形容女子步态轻盈，后常比喻事物渐入佳境。
Since the Dong Jin Dynasty (317-420)， the capital city of Jiankang (now Nanjing) had been significant development. However，the great wealth accumulated by the hard work of the general public was mainly in the hands of the nobility. The nobility extravagantly built a lot of luxurious palaces and mansions by using the wealth.
东晋以后，建康(今江苏南京)作为都城有了很大发展，但是人民辛苦劳作积累起来的大量财富，却被贵族占为己有，他们大兴土木，修建了许多奢华的宫殿和宅第。
Xiao Baojuan， an emperor of Southern Qi，had an extremely luxurious palace built for himself. The walls were painted with aromatic musk and gold was used to decorate the beams and columns in the palace. When his gold was used up，the emperor sent people to grab gold from the market，leading to a huge surge of gold price at the time.
南齐皇帝萧宝卷建造的宫殿奢华至极，用麝香涂抹墙壁，梁柱上用黄金装饰，宫中的黄金被用完后，就到商市上去抢，一时黄金珠宝的价格暴涨。
The emperor’s most beloved concubine was YuEr Pan. One day，a whimsical idea came to the emperor’s mind. He commanded his goldsmiths to carve gold into lotus flowers， which were then laid on the floor of the palace. He asked Concubine Pan to walk？on the golden lotus flowers and used the idiom “Lotus Flower Blooming With Every Footstep” to describe the scene.
皇帝最宠爱的妃子叫潘玉儿。有一天，他突发奇想，命令匠人用黄金雕刻出一朵朵莲花，铺在宫殿的地面上，让潘妃在上面行走，称之为“步步生莲花”。
Concubine Pan was slim and graceful， and she looked stunningly beautiful when walking on the golden lotus flowers. Since then， people started to use the idiom “Lotus Flower Blooming With Every Footstep” to indicate a woman’s graceful gait.
潘妃体态柔美，步履轻盈，走在这黄金路上煞是好看，引人惊叹。后来，人们就用“步步莲花”来形容女子的步态优美。, http://www.100md.com
unknown) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
【出处】《南史·齐本纪下》：“又凿金为莲华以帖地，令潘妃行其上，曰：‘此步步生莲华也。’”
【Interpretation】 Originally used to describe a woman’s light and beautiful？gait； later often used to imply things getting
better.
【释意】原形容女子步态轻盈，后常比喻事物渐入佳境。
Since the Dong Jin Dynasty (317-420)， the capital city of Jiankang (now Nanjing) had been significant development. However，the great wealth accumulated by the hard work of the general public was mainly in the hands of the nobility. The nobility extravagantly built a lot of luxurious palaces and mansions by using the wealth.
东晋以后，建康(今江苏南京)作为都城有了很大发展，但是人民辛苦劳作积累起来的大量财富，却被贵族占为己有，他们大兴土木，修建了许多奢华的宫殿和宅第。
Xiao Baojuan， an emperor of Southern Qi，had an extremely luxurious palace built for himself. The walls were painted with aromatic musk and gold was used to decorate the beams and columns in the palace. When his gold was used up，the emperor sent people to grab gold from the market，leading to a huge surge of gold price at the time.
南齐皇帝萧宝卷建造的宫殿奢华至极，用麝香涂抹墙壁，梁柱上用黄金装饰，宫中的黄金被用完后，就到商市上去抢，一时黄金珠宝的价格暴涨。
The emperor’s most beloved concubine was YuEr Pan. One day，a whimsical idea came to the emperor’s mind. He commanded his goldsmiths to carve gold into lotus flowers， which were then laid on the floor of the palace. He asked Concubine Pan to walk？on the golden lotus flowers and used the idiom “Lotus Flower Blooming With Every Footstep” to describe the scene.
皇帝最宠爱的妃子叫潘玉儿。有一天，他突发奇想，命令匠人用黄金雕刻出一朵朵莲花，铺在宫殿的地面上，让潘妃在上面行走，称之为“步步生莲花”。
Concubine Pan was slim and graceful， and she looked stunningly beautiful when walking on the golden lotus flowers. Since then， people started to use the idiom “Lotus Flower Blooming With Every Footstep” to indicate a woman’s graceful gait.
潘妃体态柔美，步履轻盈，走在这黄金路上煞是好看，引人惊叹。后来，人们就用“步步莲花”来形容女子的步态优美。, http://www.100md.com