To have a well-conceived plan or strategy; to have a complete blueprint in mind before starting something.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
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).