📖 Meaning
It means to transport military grain and fodder at great speed. The idiom describes the rapid, large-scale provisioning of an army on the march, emphasizing haste and heavy expenditure. It is synonymous with the variant form 飞刍挽粟.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the Biography of Wu Wending in the History of the Ming Dynasty (《明史·伍文定传》). Wu Wending was a Ming-dynasty general who served under Wang Yangming during the suppression of Prince Zhu Chenhao's rebellion in 1519 (the Zhengde reign). The text records that Wu was resolute in advancing his troops without hesitation, and that flying fodder and grain (飞刍挽粮) consumed several hundred thousand in cost. The phrase thus entered the language as a byword for swift and costly military supply.
💡 Example Usage
大军出征在即，飞刍挽粮刻不容缓。
With the army about to set out on campaign, rushing the transport of grain and fodder allows no delay.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 飞刍挽粮
- Pinyin: fēi chú wǎn liáng
- Literal Translation: fly, fodder, pull, grain
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4