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骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州
骑鹤上扬州

骑鹤上扬州 — “Riding a crane to Yangzhou”

骑鹤上扬州 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to desire to achieve multiple grand ambitions simultaneously, such as gaining high official status, accumulating immense wealth, and achieving immortality; to be overly greedy and harbor unrealistic fantasies”. Literally, “Riding a crane to Yangzhou”.

Frequency

骑鹤上扬州 Pronunciation and Pinyin

骑鹤上扬州 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
骑
qí11to ride astride
鹤
hè15crane bird
上
shàng3up, above, on, previous, ascend
扬
yáng6raise, praise, or scatter
州
zhōu6ancient administrative division

Example Sentence with 骑鹤上扬州

小王总是想着既能轻松工作又能赚大钱,简直是骑鹤上扬州,有点不切实际。
Xiao Wang always dreams of both easy work and making a lot of money; it's like riding a crane to Yangzhou, a bit unrealistic.

Origin and Story of 骑鹤上扬州

It is said that in ancient times, four young masters, Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li, were drinking by the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, discussing their ambitions.

Master Zhao said he was fortunate to have made friends and wished to become the governor of Yangzhou.

Master Sun, on the other hand, wished to ride a red-crowned, white-feathered immortal crane to live out his remaining years in the celestial palaces.

Master Li declared that he wanted to have ten myriad strings of cash (immense wealth) and then ride an immortal crane to Yangzhou for his official appointment.

The others teased him, saying he was too impatient to drink hot porridge, implying he wanted everything at once and too quickly.

Idioms Related to 骑鹤上扬州

Synonyms of 骑鹤上扬州

  • qí骑hè鹤shàng上wéi维yáng扬Wish for multiple great achievements at once
  • qí骑hè鹤wàng望yáng扬zhōu州Greedy for wealth, power, and immortality

More idioms starting with 骑

  • qí骑shàng上yáng扬zhōu州hè鹤Covet multiple grand desires simultaneously
  • qí骑yáng扬zhōu州hè鹤Desire high office, wealth, and immortality simultaneously
  • qí骑cáo曹bù不jì记mǎ马high-minded, detached from practical matters
  • qí骑niú牛mì觅niú牛search for what one already has
  • qí骑niú牛dú读hàn汉shū书diligent study despite inconvenient circumstances
  • qí骑zhě者shàn善zhuì坠Even experts can make mistakes
  • qí骑zhě者shàn善duò堕Even experts make mistakes
  • qí骑hǔ虎nán难xià下caught in an inescapable predicament
  • qí骑mǎ马chéng乘zhōu舟apply theories dogmatically and unrealistically
  • qí骑mǎ马xún寻mǎ马Greedy for more benefits
  • qí骑mǎ马zhǎo找mǎ马look for something one already has
  • qí骑mǎ马dǐng顶bāo包confuse priorities or proper order

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Questions about 骑鹤上扬州

What does 骑鹤上扬州 mean?

骑鹤上扬州 (qí hè shàng yáng zhōu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to desire to achieve multiple grand ambitions simultaneously, such as gaining high official status, accumulating immense wealth, and achieving immortality; to be overly greedy and harbor unrealistic fantasies”.

How do you pronounce 骑鹤上扬州?

骑鹤上扬州 is pronounced qí hè shàng yáng zhōu in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 骑鹤上扬州 literally mean?

Literally, 骑鹤上扬州 means “Riding a crane to Yangzhou”. It is used to mean “to desire to achieve multiple grand ambitions simultaneously, such as gaining high official status, accumulating immense wealth, and achieving immortality; to be overly greedy and harbor unrealistic fantasies”.

Where does 骑鹤上扬州 come from?

骑鹤上扬州 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 骑鹤上扬州?

后因以比喻欲集做官、发财、成仙于一身,或形容贪婪、妄想。

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