倚马七纸 — “To write quickly and fluently”

倚马七纸 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to write quickly and fluently”. To be prolific in writing, often implying great literary talent or quick wit. Literally, “Leaning against a horse, seven sheets of paper”.

Frequency

倚马七纸 Pronunciation and Pinyin

倚马七纸 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
倚	yǐ	10	lean against or rely on
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large
七	qī	2	the number seven
纸	zhǐ	7	Paper, sheet, document

Example Sentence with 倚马七纸

小明在文学竞赛中表现出色，每次限时创作都能倚马七纸，最终获得了第一名。

Xiao Ming performed exceptionally well in the literary competition; every time he faced a time-limited writing task, he could write quickly and fluently, ultimately winning first place.

Origin and Story of 倚马七纸

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie Shang, the governor of Yuzhou, recognized Yuan Hu's outstanding literary talent and recommended him to Grand Marshal Huan Wen. Huan Wen then appointed Yuan Hu to be responsible for drafting documents and correspondence within his administration.

Yuan Hu once composed the "Ode to the Eastern Expedition," praising many renowned scholars of the Eastern Jin era.

Later, Yuan Hu accompanied Huan Wen on a northern military expedition against Former Yan. While on the front lines, Huan Wen instructed him to draft a powerful declaration of war. Without hesitation, Yuan Hu simply leaned against his horse, picked up his brush, and swiftly completed a well-structured and impactful declaration.

This feat demonstrated his extraordinary speed and literary prowess, giving rise to the idiom "倚马七纸" (leaning on a horse, seven sheets of paper), which metaphorically describes someone who can write with great speed and ease.