📖 Meaning
Describes a person who possesses both civil (scholarly or administrative) and military talents. Such well-rounded individuals were highly prized in traditional Chinese governance, where officials were expected to advise at court and command troops in the field. The phrase is used as high praise for someone equally adept with the pen and the sword.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the 'Biography of Lu Zhi' in the Book of Later Han (后汉书). During the Eastern Han dynasty, in the fourth year of Xiping (175 AD), the Jiujiang tribes rebelled and the four ministries of government needed a capable official to suppress them. They selected Lu Zhi precisely because he was a man of both civil and military ability, appointing him governor of Jiujiang. Lu Zhi was a renowned Confucian scholar who also taught famous disciples such as Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan.
💡 Example Usage
他自幼勤奋好学，如今才兼文武，是朝廷难得的人才。
Having studied diligently since childhood, he now excels in both letters and arms, making him a rare talent much prized by the court.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 才兼文武
- Pinyin: cái jiān wén wǔ
- Literal Translation: talent, combine, civil, military
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4