来龙去脉
lái lóng qù mài · HSK 7
the whole sequence of events
🐉 来龙去脉 = come-dragon + go-pulse: feng-shui term for a mountain range traced end to end
Originally maps a mountain ridge as a dragon: where it comes from (来龙) and where its pulse runs out (去脉). Tracing the whole ridge end to end became the figure for following any chain of events from cause to effect.
来 — pictograph of a wheat plant with grain heads
来 originally depicted a stalk of wheat with drooping grain heads, and meant 'wheat' in oracle bone script. It was later borrowed phonetically to write the unrelated verb 'to come,' which became its dominant meaning. The original 'wheat' sense was taken over by 麥 (now 麦).
龙 — simplified form of 龍; phonetic-pictographic
龙 is the simplified form of the traditional 龍, an ancient pictograph depicting a serpentine dragon with a crested head, scaly body, and curling tail. In oracle bone script it was clearly drawn as a mythical reptile. The character has always meant 'dragon', a powerful and auspicious creature in Chinese culture.
去 — 土 earth on top + 厶 (originally 凵, a vessel/container) below
Originally a pictograph showing a person (大) departing from an enclosed area or vessel, suggesting leaving or going away. Over time the top simplified to 土 and the bottom to 厶. The core meaning 'to go, to leave, to depart' has remained stable since ancient Chinese.