成竹在胸 — “To have a well-conceived plan or strategy”
成竹在胸 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have a well-conceived plan or strategy”. To have a complete blueprint in mind before starting something. Literally, “Complete bamboo in one's chest”.
成竹在胸 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 成chéng
- 竹zhú
- 在zài
- 胸xiōng
成竹在胸 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 成竹在胸
Origin and Story of 成竹在胸
During the Song Dynasty, the literati and painters Su Shi and Wen Tong were both skilled at painting bamboo.
Su Shi, known for his ink bamboo paintings, believed that one must have a complete image of the bamboo in one's mind (成竹于胸中) before even beginning to paint.
Wen Tong, on the other hand, cultivated numerous bamboo trees in his own courtyard. He meticulously observed their growth and changes every day, which allowed him to paint bamboos that were diverse in form and incredibly lifelike.
The painter Chao Buzhi once highly praised Wen Tong's technique, remarking that when he painted bamboo, 'the complete bamboo was already in his chest' (成竹已在胸).
Idioms Related to 成竹在胸
Synonyms of 成竹在胸
Antonyms of 成竹在胸
More idioms starting with 成
- chéng成yī一jiā家yán言form one's own school of thought
- chéng成yě也xiāo萧hé何bài败xiāo萧hé何success and failure from the same source
- chéng成yě也xiāo萧hé何，，bài败yě也xiāo萧hé何success and failure due to the same person
- chéng成shì事bù不shuō说Do not comment on what is done
- chéng成shì事bù不zú足，，huài坏shì事yǒu有yú余more apt to spoil than succeed
- chéng成shì事bù不zú足，，bài败shì事yǒu有yú余more likely to spoil than succeed
- chéng成rén人bù不zì自zai在，，zì自zai在bù不chéng成rén人No pain, no gain
- chéng成rén人zhī之shàn善help others achieve good
- chéng成rén人zhī之měi美Help others achieve their goals
- chéng成rén仁qǔ取yì义sacrifice life for righteousness
- chéng成hé何tǐ体tǒng统How improper! What an outrage!
- chéng成fó佛zuò作zǔ祖achieve outstanding accomplishments
Questions about 成竹在胸
- What does 成竹在胸 mean?
- 成竹在胸 (chéng zhú zài xiōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have a well-conceived plan or strategy”.
- How do you pronounce 成竹在胸?
- 成竹在胸 is pronounced chéng zhú zài xiōng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 成竹在胸 literally mean?
- Literally, 成竹在胸 means “Complete bamboo in one's chest”. It is used to mean “to have a well-conceived plan or strategy”.
- Where does 成竹在胸 come from?
- 成竹在胸 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 成竹在胸?
- 成竹：现成完整的竹子。画竹前竹的全貌已在胸中。比喻在做事之前已经拿定主义。