旗鼓相当 — “To be evenly matched in strength, skill, or power”
旗鼓相当 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be evenly matched in strength, skill, or power”. To be comparable in ability or influence. Literally, “Matched in flags and drums”.
旗鼓相当 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 旗qí
- 鼓gǔ
- 相xiāng
- 当dāng
旗鼓相当 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 旗鼓相当
Origin and Story of 旗鼓相当
During the late Western Han Dynasty, Wei Ao (隗嚣) from Chengji (present-day Qinan County, Gansu Province) organized armed forces to resist Wang Mang's rule, capturing areas like Longxi, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang.
Later, Liu Xiu appointed Wei Ao as the Great General of Xichuan. To prevent Gongsun Shu's forces, which occupied Chengdu, from expanding outwards, Liu Xiu wrote a letter to Wei Ao, hoping he would block Gongsun Shu's incursions.
The gist of the letter was: 'If Gongsun Shu advances into Hanzhong and attempts to seize Chang'an, I hope to rely on your troops and their flags and drums to hold them back. If you can do this, I will consider it a blessing from Heaven.'
People later derived the idiom '旗鼓相当' (qí gǔ xiāng dāng) from Liu Xiu's phrase '愿因将军兵马旗鼓相当' (I wish to rely on your general's troops, with their flags and drums, to be evenly matched), which is used to describe two sides being evenly matched in strength or power.
Idioms Related to 旗鼓相当
Synonyms of 旗鼓相当
Antonyms of 旗鼓相当
More idioms starting with 旗
- qí旗bù布xīng星zhì峙numerous and widely distributed
- qí旗zhì帜xiān鲜míng明take a clear-cut stand
- qí旗kāi开qǔ取shèng胜Achieve immediate victory or success
- qí旗kāi开dé得shèng胜achieve immediate victory
- qí旗kāi开dé得shèng胜，，mǎ马dào到chéng成gōng功achieve immediate success
- qí旗kāi开mǎ马dào到Achieve immediate success
- qí旗mí靡zhé辙luàn乱utter rout and confusion
- qí旗gǔ鼓xiāng相wàng望flags and drums visible to each other
Questions about 旗鼓相当
- What does 旗鼓相当 mean?
- 旗鼓相当 (qí gǔ xiāng dāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be evenly matched in strength, skill, or power”.
- How do you pronounce 旗鼓相当?
- 旗鼓相当 is pronounced qí gǔ xiāng dāng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 旗鼓相当 literally mean?
- Literally, 旗鼓相当 means “Matched in flags and drums”. It is used to mean “to be evenly matched in strength, skill, or power”.
- Where does 旗鼓相当 come from?
- 旗鼓相当 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 旗鼓相当?
- 比喻双方力量不相上下。