📖 Meaning
Outstanding ability combined with far-reaching strategic vision. It describes a ruler, general, or leader whose exceptional talent and grand planning set them apart from ordinary people. The phrase is reserved for figures capable of shaping the course of history through intellect and ambition.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Book of Han' (《汉书》), specifically the 'Annals of Emperor Wu' (武帝纪赞) written by the Eastern Han historian Ban Gu. The original passage praises Emperor Wu of Han (Han Wudi, r. 141–87 BC) for possessing extraordinary talent and grand strategy, suggesting that even the sages extolled in the Classic of Poetry and the Book of Documents could hardly surpass him. Yet Ban Gu also critiques the emperor for failing to preserve the frugality and care for the common people demonstrated by his predecessors, Emperors Wen and Jing. Over the centuries, the phrase has been applied to statesmen and commanders—from Emperor Wu's generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to later dynastic founders—whose vision reshaped their era.
💡 Example Usage
诸葛亮以雄才大略辅佐刘备建立蜀汉政权。
With outstanding talent and grand strategy, Zhuge Liang assisted Liu Bei in founding the Shu Han regime.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 雄才大略
- Pinyin: xióng cái dà lüè
- Literal Translation: heroic, talent, grand, strategy
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4