







工力悉敌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be perfectly matched in skill and effort”. To be equally excellent or superb, especially when comparing two works of art, craftsmanship, or performance. Literally, “Skill and effort are completely equal”.
During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, ministers gathered by Kunming Lake to compose poems. Over a hundred submissions were received, and the talented woman Shangguan Zhaorong was tasked with selecting one for imperial lyrics.
She found two poems to be perfectly matched in skill and effort (工力悉敌): one by Shen Quanqi and the other by Song Zhiwen.
After meticulous consideration, she ultimately chose Song Zhiwen's poem, a decision that even Shen Quanqi conceded with admiration.

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Open the tool →工力悉敌 (gōng lì xī dí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be perfectly matched in skill and effort”.
工力悉敌 is pronounced gōng lì xī dí in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 工力悉敌 means “Skill and effort are completely equal”. It is used to mean “to be perfectly matched in skill and effort”.
工力悉敌 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
工力:功夫和力量;悉:完全;敌:相当。双方用的功夫和力量相当。常形容两个优秀的艺术作品不分上下。