📖 Meaning
Dressed in splendid garments and riding fine spirited horses, this idiom paints a picture of ostentatious luxury and youthful swagger. It describes someone who flaunts their wealth through extravagant attire and a bold, untamed lifestyle.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom first appears in the Ming dynasty work 'Ye Huo Bian' (《野获编》) by Shen Defu, within a section on unjust cases under the Ministry of Justice. The passage recounts how a gang of bandits, having grown powerful and arrogant, took to wearing dazzling clothes and riding spirited horses while calling themselves wandering knights-errant. Their ringleader, a man named Zhu Guochen, had originally been a butcher before rising to notoriety.
💡 Example Usage
他年轻时鲜衣怒马，如今却偏爱粗茶淡饭的日子。
In his youth he lived a life of splendid clothes and spirited horses, but now he prefers the simplicity of plain tea and humble meals.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鲜衣怒马
- Pinyin: xiān yī nù mǎ
- Literal Translation: bright, clothes, spirited, horses
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4