📖 Meaning
A metaphor for handling affairs with consummate skill and ease. It derives from the Daoist parable of Cook Ding butchering an ox, whose blade always found the empty spaces between joints. It describes someone so thoroughly masterful that every action appears effortless.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Treatise on Nourishing Life' (养生主) chapter of Zhuangzi, a Daoist text from the Warring States period. It recounts the story of Cook Ding (庖丁) butchering oxen for Lord Wen of Hui (惠文王). After three years of practice, Cook Ding no longer saw a whole ox but only the empty spaces between its joints. Because his blade was impossibly thin and the gaps were wide, he could guide the knife effortlessly without ever dulling it. The phrase thus came to symbolize supreme mastery and effortless skill in any endeavor.
💡 Example Usage
老匠人做了五十年木工，做起活来投刃皆虚，令人叹服。
The old carpenter has worked with wood for fifty years; his craft is so masterful that every cut falls effortlessly into place, inspiring admiration.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 投刃皆虚
- Pinyin: tóu rèn jiē xū
- Literal Translation: place blade, all empty
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4