📖 Meaning
The ability to recite stele inscriptions from memory after reading them, and to reconstruct a chess game board after it has been overturned or disrupted. It describes a person with an exceptionally powerful and precise memory.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Old Book of Tang (旧唐书), in the biography of Zhang Yungu (张蕴古) found in the Literature section. Zhang Yungu was a native of Huanshui in Xiangzhou, known for his sharp intellect and wide-ranging scholarship. The text records that he could memorize and recite stele inscriptions he had read and could restore a chess board after it had been overturned, and that he was especially well-versed in current affairs, earning the praise of his local community.
💡 Example Usage
他天资聪颖，能背碑覆局，深得先生器重。
Endowed with natural intelligence, he could recite stele inscriptions from memory and reconstruct overturned chess games, earning him the high regard of his teacher.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 背碑覆局
- Pinyin: bèi bēi fù jú
- Literal Translation: recite, stele, restore, chess game
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4