As to the build, 虎背熊腰was not preferred. Instead, 玉樹臨風(yu4 shu4 lin3 feng) became a compliment to men. 玉樹 literally means a jade tree; 臨風 means to encounter the wind, or in the wind. The tall and slim figure is compared to a jade tree. Imagine a tall slender man standing with his sleeves and robe blowing in the wind. A man with such a build and temperament was considered handsome in 魏晉 time.
Of all the handsome men, I think the most famous one should be 潘安(pan an)(247-300) When we want to compliment a man for his good-looking, we often call him潘安再世(pan an zhai4 shi4), a reborn潘安.
It is recorded that whenever 潘安 went out, there would always be a big crowd of girls or women following him like fans chasing after their idols today. To show their admiration, they threw him flowers or fruits. The fruits were so abundant that they filled Pan’s carriage. That’s what the idiom擲果盈車(zhi2 guo3 yeng2 ju ) means. 擲 means to throw or to give. 果, fruit. 盈, to fill, 車, the carriage.
Can you imagine that a man could be so handsome that he was “stared” to death? In history we do have such a story recorded. His name is衛玠(wei4 jie4)（285-312）
His beauty was depicted as 明珠(ming2 zhu),玉潤(yu4 run4), which respectively means bright as a pearl and glossy as jade. When he decided to move to the capital, hearing about his reputation as an extremely good-looking man, crowds of people flooded to where he was to see him. The street was full of those curious fans besieging Wei. Surrounded by the circles of people, Wei could hardly budge. It is said that he went home and died. The is the origin of the term看殺衛玠. 看 means to look, or to stare. 殺to kill. Weijie was stared to death.
Historically we have a lot of stories about how a beautiful woman had led to a collapse of a country or a dynasty. Those women are often called 禍水紅顏(huo4 shui3 hong2 yan2), and their beauty 傾國傾城(qieng3 guo2 qieng3 cheng2). Literally禍水means trouble-making water, which refers to a trouble maker. 紅顏 refers to a beautiful woman. 傾 means to tilt, to topple; 國refers to a nation while城, a city.
Naturally there would be some handsome men who had accomplished extraordinary achievement with the help of their looks. 和珅, or Heshen, (1746-1799) the favorite Manchu official of the Qianlong Emperor, one of the biggest corruptive Chinese officials, the richest in the 18th Century, is one example.
He caught the attention of the top official, which equals to today’s prime minister, with his handsome looks and witty remarks. He is described to have a fair and white complexion as well as a玉樹臨風 figure. When the prime minister met him, he was impressed with his face that was like a “boiled egg covered with powder,” and his “bright eyes with two long eyebrows.” He later married his granddaughter off this good-looking young man.
Of course he couldn’t have achieved what he had only with his looks. He also got excellent diplomacy and ass-kissing 拍馬屁(pai ma3 pi4). According to the unofficial history, he became Qianlong’s favorite because he looked very much like a late concubine of Qianlong's that was said to have been executed for Qianlong’s sake, which had burdened the emperor with guilt.
Heshen gathered an extremely huge fortune during his official career of 24 years. When Qianlong’s successor the Jaqing Emperor confiscated his fortune, according to the Wikipedia, “his total property was ultimately estimated at around 1,100 million taels 兩(liang3) of silver, reputedly estimated to be an amount equivalent to the imperial revenue of the Qing government for 15 years.”
Be it a man or woman, having a beautiful appearance, is, as what I had mentioned before, like water, for it can not only carry over a boat, but also topple it. 水能載舟(shui4 neng2 zai4 zhou)，亦能覆舟(yi4 neng2 fu4 zhuo) It doesn’t mean you are especially blessed, or the other way, cursed. We often say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Anyway, time is a fair sculptor. Everyone gets ugly when they grow old. For those beautiful people, it might be even tougher for them to see themselves getting uglier. George Clooney might have had plastic surgery as he had admitted. So might Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, . . . Still, you can tell. Beauty has its “shelf life.”
Does it take anything else to be liked?
玉樹臨風=玉树临风
擲果盈車=掷果盈车
看殺衛玠=看殺卫玠
玉潤=玉润
禍水紅顏=祸水红颜
傾國傾城=倾国倾城
拍馬屁=拍马屁
兩=两
載舟=载舟
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