📖 Meaning
Describes a person whose courage is so immense it could envelop the heavens. It conveys extreme audacity or reckless boldness, often implying that the person dares to do things others would consider unthinkable or beyond the bounds of normal conduct.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom first appears in the Qing dynasty playwright Yang Chaoguan's work "Yinfengge Zaju" (吟风阁杂剧), specifically in the scene "Huangshi Po's Plan to Escape the Pass" (黄石婆授计逃关). The line describes a character whose audacity was so immense that, with a single iron hammer, they nearly killed the King of Qin (秦王). The idiom paints a vivid hyperbole: one's gall is so large it wraps around the entire sky.
💡 Example Usage
他胆大包天，竟敢当面顶撞上司。
He was so audacious that he dared to openly talk back to his boss.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 胆大包天
- Pinyin: dǎn dà bāo tiān
- Literal Translation: gall, big, envelop, sky
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4