CHENGYU
胸有成竹(xiōng yǒu chéng zhú)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal
- Source:
- 宋·苏轼《文与可画筼筜谷偃竹记》
MEANING
- Literal
- to have a complete bamboo in one's chest
- Figurative meaning
- to have a well-thought-out plan before acting
ORIGIN STORY
The Song painter Wen Tong said that before he painted bamboo, he already held the whole plant in his mind. The phrase came to mean thorough preparation.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to have it all figured out”
EXAMPLES
考试前他胸有成竹，一点也不紧张。Kǎoshì qián tā xiōng yǒu chéng zhú, yìdiǎn yě bù jǐnzhāng.HSK6
Before the exam he had it all planned and was not nervous at all.
她对自己的方案胸有成竹。Tā duì zìjǐ de fāngàn xiōng yǒu chéng zhú.HSK6
She is fully confident in her plan.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is about confident preparation, not arrogance about an uncertain outcome.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01