CHENGYU
如虎添翼(rú hǔ tiān yì)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 三国蜀·诸葛亮《心书·兵机》
MEANING
- Literal
- like adding wings to a tiger
- Figurative meaning
- to make a strong force even stronger
ORIGIN STORY
Zhuge Liang wrote: "A commander who holds his army's power and spirit over his men is like a fierce tiger given wings, soaring over the four seas." The phrase now fits any boost to an already strong player.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to be given a turbo boost”
EXAMPLES
有了新技术，这家公司如虎添翼。Yǒu le xīn jìshù, zhè jiā gōngsī rú hǔ tiān yì.HSK6
With the new technology, the company is a tiger that has grown wings.
他经验丰富，再学了编程，真是如虎添翼。Tā jīngyàn fēngfù, zài xué le biānchéng, zhēn shì rú hǔ tiān yì.HSK6
He already had experience; adding coding gave the tiger its wings.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: The base must already be strong — wings help a tiger, not a kitten.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01