七步之才 — “Describes someone with exceptional quick wit and literary talent”
七步之才 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes someone with exceptional quick wit and literary talent”. Able to compose brilliant prose or poetry in a very short time. Literally, “Seven-pace talent”.
七步之才 Pronunciation and Pinyin
七步之才 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 七步之才
Origin and Story of 七步之才
After Cao Cao's death, his eldest son Cao Pi succeeded to the throne. Fearing that his younger brothers would contend for his position, Cao Pi acted preemptively, seizing military power from his second brother Cao Zhang and forcing his fourth brother Cao Xiong to hang himself.
Only his third brother Cao Zhi remained, whom Cao Pi deeply resented. Therefore, he ordered Cao Zhi to walk seven paces in the grand hall and then compose a poem spontaneously on the theme of 'brotherhood', but without using the word 'brotherhood' itself in the poem. If he succeeded, he would be spared; if not, Cao Pi would execute him.
Without hesitation, Cao Zhi immediately recited: 'Beans are boiled by burning beanstalks, beans in the pot weep. We are born from the same root, why are you so eager to torment each other?' — This became the famous 'Poem Composed in Seven Paces'.
Upon hearing it, Cao Pi shed tears and couldn't bring himself to kill his brother. He merely demoted Cao Zhi to the Marquis of Anxiang.
Idioms Related to 七步之才
Synonyms of 七步之才
Antonyms of 七步之才
More idioms starting with 七
- qī七qī七bā八bā八more or less; in bits and pieces
- qī七shàng上bā八xià下agitated and restless
- qī七shàng上bā八luò落agitated and unsettled
- qī七le了bā八dāng当Everything is properly arranged and settled
- qī七shì事bā八shì事numerous and jumbled matters
- qī七dào倒bā八wāi歪in complete disarray
- qī七shí十èr二biàn变numerous and varied transformations
- qī七shí十èr二háng行all trades and professions
- qī七kǒu口bā八zuǐ嘴many people talking at once
- qī七zuǐ嘴bā八zhāng张many people talking at once
- qī七zuǐ嘴bā八shé舌many people talking at once
- qī七dà大bā八xiǎo小of varying or uneven sizes
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Open the tool →Questions about 七步之才
What does 七步之才 mean?
七步之才 (qī bù zhī cái) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes someone with exceptional quick wit and literary talent”.
How do you pronounce 七步之才?
七步之才 is pronounced qī bù zhī cái in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 七步之才 literally mean?
Literally, 七步之才 means “Seven-pace talent”. It is used to mean “describes someone with exceptional quick wit and literary talent”.
Where does 七步之才 come from?
七步之才 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 七步之才?
形容才思敏捷。