📖 Meaning
Literally 'to have personally experienced a hundred battles.' It describes someone who has been through many battles or hardships and is therefore highly experienced and battle-hardened. The idiom is commonly used to praise veterans or people with extensive practical experience in their field.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Zizhi Tongjian' (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance), in the annals of the Later Tang dynasty, during the Tongguang era of Emperor Zhuangzong (925 CE). The passage notes that some ministers had followed the emperor for many years and personally experienced a hundred battles, yet their rewards amounted to no more than a single prefecture. The phrase was used to highlight the disparity between the ministers' long, arduous service and their meager compensation, emphasizing their extensive military experience.
💡 Example Usage
这位身经百战的老将军依然坚守在国防第一线。
This battle-hardened old general still stands firm on the front line of national defense.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 身经百战
- Pinyin: shēn jīng bǎi zhàn
- Literal Translation: body, experience, hundred, battles
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4