📖 Meaning
Literally 'the whole body is courage.' It describes someone who is exceptionally brave and completely fearless in the face of danger. The idiom praises a person's extraordinary valor and unshakable nerve.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Biography of Zhao Yun' in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), as annotated by Pei Songzhi citing the unofficial Biography of Yun (云别传). During a fierce battle, the general Zhao Yun (courtesy name Zilong) fought with remarkable bravery. The next morning, Liu Bei personally inspected the battlefield and exclaimed, 'Zilong is entirely made of courage!' The phrase later evolved into the idiom '浑身是胆' to describe someone full of dauntless bravery.
💡 Example Usage
武松浑身是胆，赤手空拳打死了凶猛的老虎。
Wu Song, full of courage, beat the ferocious tiger to death with his bare hands.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 浑身是胆
- Pinyin: hún shēn shì dǎn
- Literal Translation: whole body, is, courage
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4