📖 Meaning
Like stars racing across the sky and lightning flashing by. It describes something moving with extreme speed and swiftness, often used for vehicles, troops, or actions that happen in a flash.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Book of Zhou, Biography of Duan Yong' (《周书·段永传》) in the official histories of the Northern Zhou dynasty. In the passage, the strategist proposes attacking the enemy with lightning speed and surprise, suggesting that five hundred elite cavalry moving 'like stars racing and lightning flashing' would be enough to annihilate the foe. It thus originally praised the swiftness and decisiveness of military action.
💡 Example Usage
救护车星驰电掣般驶向医院，争分夺秒抢救病人。
The ambulance raced to the hospital like a shooting star and a flash of lightning, racing against time to save the patient.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 星驰电掣
- Pinyin: xīng chí diàn chè
- Literal Translation: stars, gallop, lightning, flash
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4