天马行空 — “Describes a style that is bold”

天马行空 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a style that is bold”. Unconstrained, and highly imaginative, often referring to literary works, art, or a person's thought process. It conveys a sense of grandeur and freedom, like a celestial horse soaring effortlessly through the sky. Sometimes it can also describe someone who is unrestrained or even erratic. Literally, “Heavenly horse travels/flies in the sky”.

Frequency

天马行空 Pronunciation and Pinyin

天马行空 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
天	tiān	4	sky, heaven, day, nature
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large
行	xíng	6	to walk, act, or a line
空	kōng	8	empty, void, or sky

Example Sentence with 天马行空

他的设计理念总是天马行空，充满创意，每一次都能带给人们惊喜。

His design concepts are always wild and imaginative, full of creativity, surprising people every time.

Origin and Story of 天马行空

During the Western Han Dynasty, the Dawan kingdom in the Western Regions was famous for producing a kind of divine horse that could travel a thousand li in a day. These horses were known as 'Western Extremity Heavenly Horses' or 'Heavenly Steeds Soaring Across the Sky.'

Emperor Wu of Han sent envoys with gold, silver, and jewels to trade for these magnificent horses. However, King Wugua of Dawan killed the envoys and seized their valuables.

Enraged, Emperor Wu dispatched General Li Guangli to lead an army to conquer Dawan. After a successful campaign, the Han army returned with 3,000 'Western Extremity Heavenly Horses.'