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九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力
九牛二虎之力

九牛二虎之力 — “Immense strength”

九牛二虎之力 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Immense strength”. Tremendous effort; Herculean efforts. Literally, “Strength of nine bulls and two tigers”.

Frequency

九牛二虎之力 Pronunciation and Pinyin

九牛二虎之力 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
九
jiǔ2the number nine
牛
niú4Ox, awesome, or stubborn
二
èr2the number two
虎
hǔ8Tiger; brave; intimidate
之
zhī4possessive or connective particle
力
lì2physical strength or power

Example Sentence with 九牛二虎之力

为了抬起那块沉重的石头,他使出了九牛二虎之力。
He put forth immense effort to lift that heavy stone.

Origin and Story of 九牛二虎之力

During the Zhou Dynasty, King Xuan of Zhou heard that Gong Yibo was renowned among the feudal lords for his extraordinary bravery and strength. He sent for Gong Yibo to inquire about the extent of his strength.

Gong Yibo replied that he could break the legs of a crawling insect and resist the fanning wings of an autumn cicada.

King Xuan was greatly disappointed, saying that he himself could hold back the tails of nine bulls, preventing them from moving.

Idioms Related to 九牛二虎之力

Antonyms of 九牛二虎之力

  • jǔ举shǒu手tóu投zú足every move and act

More idioms starting with 九

  • jiǔ九shì世zhī之chóu仇deep-seated, long-standing hatred
  • jiǔ九shì世tóng同jū居nine generations living together
  • jiǔ九jiǔ九guī归yī一all things return to one
  • jiǔ九jiǔ九guī归yuán原everything boils down to
  • jiǔ九wǔ五zhī之wèi位the imperial throne
  • jiǔ九wǔ五zhī之zūn尊the emperor's supreme position
  • jiǔ九rèn仞yī一kuì篑fail at the last step
  • jiǔ九rú儒shí十gài丐Scholars discriminated against, just above beggars
  • jiǔ九guān关hǔ虎bào豹ruthless, oppressive, and dangerous powerful officials
  • jiǔ九shí十chūn春guāng光the entire spring season
  • jiǔ九yuán原zhī之xià下in the realm of the dead
  • jiǔ九yuán原kě可zuò作Wish the dead could be brought back to life

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Questions about 九牛二虎之力

What does 九牛二虎之力 mean?

九牛二虎之力 (jiǔ niú èr hǔ zhī lì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Immense strength”.

How do you pronounce 九牛二虎之力?

九牛二虎之力 is pronounced jiǔ niú èr hǔ zhī lì in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 九牛二虎之力 literally mean?

Literally, 九牛二虎之力 means “Strength of nine bulls and two tigers”. It is used to mean “Immense strength”.

Where does 九牛二虎之力 come from?

九牛二虎之力 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 九牛二虎之力?

比喻很大的力气。常用于很费力才做成一件事的场合。

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