📖 Meaning
As solid as a large boulder. Used as a metaphor for something unshakable, immovable, or steadfast in its firmness. Often describes alliances, relationships, or resolve that cannot be swayed by external forces.
📜 Origin Story
From the Han dynasty yuefu poem "古诗为焦仲卿妻作," commonly known as "孔雀东南飞" (The Peacock Flies Southeast), preserved in the Southern Dynasties anthology "玉台新咏." The poem recounts the tragic love of Jiao Zhongqing and his wife Liu Lanzhi, whose marriage was torn apart by his mother's interference. In one famous passage the wife vows, "You shall be the great rock, I shall be the reed; the reed is tough as silk, the rock never shifts," pledging her unwavering devotion.
💡 Example Usage
两国之间的友谊坚如盘石，历经风雨而不变。
The friendship between the two nations is as solid as a rock, enduring through trials without ever changing.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 坚如盘石
- Pinyin: jiān rú pán shí
- Literal Translation: firm, like, great rock
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4