📖 Meaning
An elite, well-equipped military force with strong combat capability. It refers to a crack unit of soldiers that is highly trained and formidable in battle. The term emphasizes both superior equipment and outstanding fighting strength.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Book of Later Han (后汉书), in the Biography of Yao Qi (铫期传). During the early Eastern Han period, the general Yao Qi advised the future founding emperor Guangwu of Han (Liu Xiu), stating that if he held the natural defenses of mountains and rivers and commanded elite, formidable troops, following the people's longing for peace, then who in the realm would not submit. The phrase thus came to denote a powerful, well-trained military force whose strength could determine the course of a conflict.
💡 Example Usage
将军率领精锐之师，一举攻破了敌军的防线。
The general led an elite force that broke through the enemy's defenses in one stroke.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 精锐之师
- Pinyin: jīng ruì zhī shī
- Literal Translation: elite, sharp, of, army
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4