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小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼
小儿破贼

小儿破贼 — “Youngsters defeat bandits”

小儿破贼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to young people achieving great accomplishments or making significant contributions at an early age; excelling young”. Literally, “Youngsters defeat bandits”.

Frequency

小儿破贼 Pronunciation and Pinyin

小儿破贼 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
小
xiǎo3small, little, young, minor
儿
ér2child, son, offspring
破
pò10break, destroy, or defeat
贼
zéi10thief, villain, evil, very

Example Sentence with 小儿破贼

那位年轻的科学家在国际会议上发表了重要研究成果,真是小儿破贼,前途无量。
That young scientist presented significant research findings at an international conference, truly achieving great things at a young age, with a promising future.

Origin and Story of 小儿破贼

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian, a leader of the Di ethnic group, commanded a massive army of a million soldiers to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Xie An was tasked with leading 80,000 troops to counter the invasion.

He demonstrated excellent command, often securing major victories against Fu Jian's forces.

On one occasion, while Xie An was playing chess with a guest, Xie Xuan brought him an urgent victory report from the front lines. Xie An read it silently, showing no outward reaction.

After the chess game concluded, the guest inquired about the battle's outcome from Xie Xuan. Xie Xuan calmly replied, 'The youngsters have soundly defeated the bandits.'

Idioms Related to 小儿破贼

More idioms starting with 小

  • xiǎo小bù不rěn忍zé则luàn乱dà大móu谋Impatience in small things spoils great plans
  • xiǎo小chǒu丑tiào跳liáng梁Insignificant villains stirring up mischief
  • xiǎo小zhōng中jiàn见dà大see the big in the small
  • xiǎo小rén人dé得zhì志petty person achieves success
  • xiǎo小xìn信wèi未fú孚Small trust not yet convinced
  • xiǎo小tōu偷xiǎo小mō摸to engage in petty theft
  • xiǎo小guān冠zi子xià夏a person with poor eyesight
  • xiǎo小shòu受dà大zǒu走endure minor punishment, flee severe beating
  • xiǎo小qì器yì易yíng盈narrow-minded, easily conceited
  • xiǎo小guó国guǎ寡mín民small country with few people
  • xiǎo小dà大yóu由zhī之applicable to both large and small matters
  • xiǎo小tóu头xiǎo小nǎo脑narrow-minded and short-sighted

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Questions about 小儿破贼

What does 小儿破贼 mean?

小儿破贼 (xiǎo ér pò zéi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to young people achieving great accomplishments or making significant contributions at an early age; excelling young”.

How do you pronounce 小儿破贼?

小儿破贼 is pronounced xiǎo ér pò zéi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 小儿破贼 literally mean?

Literally, 小儿破贼 means “Youngsters defeat bandits”. It is used to mean “refers to young people achieving great accomplishments or making significant contributions at an early age; excelling young”.

Where does 小儿破贼 come from?

小儿破贼 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 小儿破贼?

比喻年纪轻就建立功业

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