倚马千言 — “Leaning on a horse, composing a thousand words”
倚马千言 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to compose a lengthy piece of writing with great speed and brilliant literary talent, often implying quick wit and exceptional ability”. Literally, “leaning on a horse, composing a thousand words”.
倚马千言 Pronunciation and Pinyin
倚马千言 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 倚马千言
Origin and Story of 倚马千言
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie Shang, the Governor of Yuzhou, recognized Yuan Hu's exceptional literary talent and recommended him to Grand Marshal Huan Wen. Huan Wen then appointed Yuan Hu to be in charge of drafting official documents for his residence.
Yuan Hu once composed 'Ode to the Eastern Expedition' praising many famous scholars of the Eastern Jin.
Later, when Yuan Hu accompanied Huan Wen on a northern expedition, Huan Wen asked him to write a declaration of war on the front lines. Yuan Hu, leaning against his horse, quickly composed a fitting and eloquent declaration. This feat gave rise to the idiom '倚马千言' (yǐ mǎ qiān yán).
Idioms Related to 倚马千言
Synonyms of 倚马千言
More idioms starting with 倚
- yǐ倚rén人lú庐xià下live under someone else's roof
- yǐ倚bàng傍mén门hù户rely on a faction's influence
- yǐ倚shì势líng凌rén人bully others by relying on power
- yǐ倚shì势xié挟quán权abuse power to oppress others
- yǐ倚shì势qī欺rén人bully by abusing power
- yǐ倚dà大qī欺xiǎo小bully the weak with power
- yǐ倚tiān天bá拔dì地extremely grand and majestic
- yǐ倚jiāo姣zuò作mèi媚rely on beauty to act coquettish
- yǐ倚guān官zhàng仗shì势abuse official power
- yǐ倚guān官xié挟shì势abuse official power and influence
- yǐ倚shān山bàng傍shuǐ水situated by mountains and water
- yǐ倚lú庐zhī之wàng望parents' anxious longing for children's return
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Open the tool →Questions about 倚马千言
What does 倚马千言 mean?
倚马千言 (yǐ mǎ qiān yán) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to compose a lengthy piece of writing with great speed and brilliant literary talent, often implying quick wit and exceptional ability”.
How do you pronounce 倚马千言?
倚马千言 is pronounced yǐ mǎ qiān yán in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 倚马千言 literally mean?
Literally, 倚马千言 means “leaning on a horse, composing a thousand words”. It is used to mean “to compose a lengthy piece of writing with great speed and brilliant literary talent, often implying quick wit and exceptional ability”.
Where does 倚马千言 come from?
倚马千言 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 倚马千言?
倚马：靠着战马。倚靠在即将出发的战马前起草文件，千言立就。形容才思敏捷。