What does 招兵买马 mean?

招兵买马 (zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to recruit personnel”.

How do you pronounce 招兵买马?

招兵买马 is pronounced zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 招兵买马 literally mean?

Literally, 招兵买马 means “to recruit soldiers and buy horses”. It is used to mean “to recruit personnel”.

Where does 招兵买马 come from?

招兵买马 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 招兵买马?

旧时指组织或扩充武装力量。后比喻组织或扩充人力。

招兵买马 — “To recruit personnel”

招兵买马 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to recruit personnel”. Gather talent, or expand one's forces/team, especially for a new venture or project. Literally, “To recruit soldiers and buy horses”.

Frequency

招兵买马 Pronunciation and Pinyin

招zhāo
兵bīng
买mǎi
马mǎ

招兵买马 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
招	zhāo	8	beckon, attract, confess, trick
兵	bīng	7	weapon, soldier, military affairs
买	mǎi	6	to buy
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large

Example Sentence with 招兵买马

新成立的科技公司正在积极招兵买马，希望吸引更多行业精英加入，共同开发创新产品。

The newly established tech company is actively recruiting talent, hoping to attract more industry elites to join and jointly develop innovative products.

Origin and Story of 招兵买马

During the Five Dynasties period, Liu Zhiyuan, having lost both parents, drifted to Peixian County in Xuzhou. He married the third daughter of Squire Li. Due to his poverty, he was often bullied by his brother-in-law, Li Hong.

The matchmaker, Uncle Li San, informed Liu Zhiyuan that Governor Yue of Taiyuan Bingzhou was actively recruiting soldiers and acquiring horses, suggesting he could enlist to secure a future for himself.

Liu Zhiyuan went to join the army and steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Pacification Commissioner of Jiuzhou.

Idioms Related to 招兵买马

Synonyms of 招兵买马

zhāo招xiáng降nà纳pàn叛recruit bad people for illicit purposes

Antonyms of 招兵买马

More idioms starting with 招

Questions about 招兵买马

What does 招兵买马 mean?: 招兵买马 (zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to recruit personnel”.
How do you pronounce 招兵买马?: 招兵买马 is pronounced zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 招兵买马 literally mean?: Literally, 招兵买马 means “to recruit soldiers and buy horses”. It is used to mean “to recruit personnel”.
Where does 招兵买马 come from?: 招兵买马 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 招兵买马?: 旧时指组织或扩充武装力量。后比喻组织或扩充人力。

Copy the pinyin for 招兵买马 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.