📖 Meaning
To roam freely across the world without encountering any resistance. It describes someone who is so powerful or skilled that they can go wherever they please and face no obstacles. Often used for conquerors, warriors, or formidable figures who dominate their domain.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty play 'Cunxi Dahu' (存孝打虎) by Chen Yiren, where it describes the rebel leader Huang Chao sweeping across the realm with such force that no one could stand in his way. The court officials, the play notes, failed to take the fate of the dynasty seriously in the face of his dominance. Over time the phrase came to denote any person who roams the world unchallenged.
💡 Example Usage
他武艺超群，纵横天下数十年，从未遇到对手。
With peerless martial arts, he roamed the world for decades and never met a rival.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 纵横天下
- Pinyin: zòng héng tiān xià
- Literal Translation: sweep, across, the world
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4