兵强马壮 — “An army that is strong”
兵强马壮 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an army that is strong”. Well-equipped, and highly capable, often describing a powerful military force with robust soldiers and sturdy horses. Literally, “strong soldiers and sturdy horses”.
兵强马壮 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 兵bīng
- 强qiáng
- 马mǎ
- 壮zhuàng
兵强马壮 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 兵强马壮
Origin and Story of 兵强马壮
An Chongrong's father served as a frontier defense commander during the Later Tang Dynasty.
When Shi Jingtang launched a rebellion in Taiyuan, he dispatched his deputy, Zhang Ying, to secretly contact An Chongrong, seeking his military assistance. An Chongrong subsequently pledged his allegiance to Shi Jingtang.
After Shi Jingtang became a 'son emperor' to the Khitan, An Chongrong gained significant support from the Tubo (Tibetan) forces, who were known to be '兵强马壮' (strong in soldiers and sturdy in horses), enabling him to declare himself king.
He then led his army to attack Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng) but was ultimately defeated and killed by the Jin army.
Idioms Related to 兵强马壮
Synonyms of 兵强马壮
Antonyms of 兵强马壮
More idioms starting with 兵
- bīng兵bù不yàn厌quán权In war, deception is acceptable
- bīng兵bù不yàn厌zhà诈Deception is permissible in war
- bīng兵bù不jiē接rèn刃win without direct confrontation
- bīng兵bù不wū污rèn刃win without striking a blow
- bīng兵bù不yóu由jiàng将soldiers disobey general's command
- bīng兵bù不xuè血rèn刃Win victory without shedding blood
- bīng兵bù不bī逼hǎo好Troops do not threaten friends
- bīng兵bù不xuě雪rèn刃win an easy victory without battle
- bīng兵lín临chéng城xià下enemy at the city gates
- bīng兵yǐ以zhà诈lì立Warfare relies on deception
- bīng兵xiōng凶zhàn战wēi危War is brutal and perilous
- bīng兵chū出wú无míng名deploy troops without just cause
Questions about 兵强马壮
- What does 兵强马壮 mean?
- 兵强马壮 (bīng qiáng mǎ zhuàng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an army that is strong”.
- How do you pronounce 兵强马壮?
- 兵强马壮 is pronounced bīng qiáng mǎ zhuàng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 兵强马壮 literally mean?
- Literally, 兵强马壮 means “strong soldiers and sturdy horses”. It is used to mean “an army that is strong”.
- Where does 兵强马壮 come from?
- 兵强马壮 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 兵强马壮?
- 兵力强盛，战马健壮。形容军队实力强，富有战斗力。