传神写照

指文学艺术作品描绘或刻画的人物生动逼真、形神兼备。“传神”是将人物内在的精神世界完全表现出来，使人物栩栩如生；“写照”就是画像，所绘人物形象逼真，如在目前。初为画论术语，后引入文学领域，是画家、文学家在塑造人物形象及一切艺术形象时所追求的艺术境界。

Convey the Spirit and Capture the Person

This term refers to literary descriptions of characters which are accurate both in form and in spirit. Chuanshen, to "convey the spirit", is to fully express the spiritual world within the character, so that he comes to life; xiezhao, to "capture the person", is to create a vivid physical depiction of him. These expressions were originally used in discussions of art but were later introduced into literature. They represent an artistic state which artists and writers try to achieve as they create images of people as well as all artistic images.

引例

四体妍蚩，本无关于妙处，传神写照，正在阿堵中。（刘义庆《世说新语·巧艺》）（人物形象的美丑，显现不出画作的高妙之处；真正让人物形神兼备、生动鲜活的，是眼睛。）

The heights of artistry do not lie in whether or not someone's physical shape is well portrayed. Rather, it is the eyes which convey the spirit and capture the person. (Liu Yiqing: A New Account of Tales of the World)