máo茅thatchsè塞blockagedùn顿suddenlykāi开open
To be suddenly enlightened; to have a sudden flash of understanding.
Literal meaning
thatch (茅) — blockage (塞) — suddenly (顿) — open (开)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase, likening sudden enlightenment to a thatch blocking a passage being suddenly removed.
Examples
Tīng听le了tā他de的jiě解shì释，wǒ我máo茅sè塞dùn顿kāi开，zhōng终yú于míng明bai白le了wèn问tí题de的guān关jiàn键。
After listening to his explanation, I was suddenly enlightened and finally understood the key to the problem.
Jīng经guò过yī一fān番sī思kǎo考，tā他máo茅sè塞dùn顿kāi开，zhǎo找dào到le了jiě解jué决wèn问tí题de的fāng方fǎ法。
After some thought, he was suddenly enlightened and found a way to solve the problem.
Usage & nuances
Implies a sudden and significant understanding.
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