CHENGYU
完璧归赵(wán bì guī zhào)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《史记·廉颇蔺相如列传》
MEANING
- Literal
- to return the jade intact to Zhao
- Figurative meaning
- to return something to its owner in perfect condition
ORIGIN STORY
The king of Qin offered fifteen cities for the famous jade of Zhao. Lin Xiangru took the jade to Qin; seeing the king had no intention of honoring the deal, he threatened to smash both the jade and himself, and finally carried the jade safely back to Zhao.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to return something safe and sound”
EXAMPLES
借的东西我用完了，一定完璧归赵。Jiè de dōngxi wǒ yòng wán le, yídìng wán bì guī zhào.HSK6
Once I am done with what I borrowed, I will return it intact.
他把手机原样还给了我，真是完璧归赵。Tā bǎ shǒujī yuányàng huán gěi le wǒ, zhēn shì wán bì guī zhào.HSK6
He returned my phone exactly as it was — the jade returned intact.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is about returning things undamaged, not about any kind of success.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
完wánintact
璧bìjade disc
归guīto return
赵zhàothe state of Zhao
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01