CHENGYU
料事如神(liào shì rú shén)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal, approving
- Source:
- 宋·杨万里《提刑徽猷检正王公墓志铭》
MEANING
- Literal
- to predict events like a god
- Figurative meaning
- astonishingly accurate foresight
ORIGIN STORY
A Song dynasty epitaph praised a magistrate whose predictions were so exact that "nothing escaped him, as if he foresaw events like a spirit."
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to have a crystal ball”
EXAMPLES
他早就预测到市场变化，真是料事如神。Tā zǎo jiù yùcè dào shìchǎng biànhuà, zhēn shì liào shì rú shén.HSK6
He predicted the market shift long ago — he foresees events like a god.
教练换人马上进球，大家佩服他料事如神。Jiàoliàn huàn rén mǎshàng jìn qiú, dàjiā pèifu tā liào shì rú shén.HSK6
The substitute scored at once; everyone marveled at the coach's divine foresight.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It praises accurate prediction, not luck or hindsight.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01