十之八九 shí zhī bā jiǔ ten out of eight or nine

Explanation

十之八九是一个成语，意思是十个里面有八九个，形容可能性极大，几乎是必然的。

Shí zhī bā jiǔ is a Chinese idiom, meaning eight or nine out of ten, indicating a very high probability, almost certainly.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个书生名叫李白，他勤奋好学，立志考取功名。一天，他正埋首苦读，一位老先生来到他家，见他如此用功，便问他：“你对这次科举考试，有何把握？”李白自信满满地说：“我已温习了所有的经史子集，十之八九能金榜题名！”老先生捋须微笑，对他说：“信心固然重要，但万事皆有可能，切勿骄傲自满。”果然，李白后来顺利考中了进士，实现了梦想。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu gè shū shēng míng jiào lǐ bái, tā qín fèn hǎo xué, lì zhì kǎo qǔ gōng míng. yī tiān, tā zhèng mái shǒu kǔ dú, yī wèi lǎo xiānshēng lái dào tā jiā, jiàn tā rú cǐ yòng gōng, biàn wèn tā：'nǐ duì zhè cì kē jǔ kǎo shì, hé hé bǎ wò？' lǐ bái zì xìn mǎn mǎn de shuō：'wǒ yǐ wēn xí le suǒ yǒu de jīng shǐ zǐ jí, shí zhī bā jiǔ néng jīn bǎng tí míng！' lǎo xiānshēng lǚ xū wēi xiào, duì tā shuō：'xìn xīn gù rán zhòng yào, dàn wàn shì jiē yǒu kě néng, qiē wù jiāo ào zì mǎn.' guǒ rán, lǐ bái hòu lái shùn lì kǎo zhòng le jìn shì, shí xiàn le mèng xiǎng.

Once upon a time, during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai who diligently studied and aspired to pass the imperial examination. One day, while immersed in his studies, an old gentleman visited him. Seeing his dedication, the gentleman asked, "How confident are you about passing the upcoming examination?" Li Bai confidently replied, "I have reviewed all the classics; ten out of nine I will be successful!" The old gentleman smiled, stroking his beard, and said, "Confidence is essential, but always be mindful of unforeseen events. Never be arrogant." Indeed, Li Bai later successfully passed the examination and achieved his dream.

Usage

十之八九通常用于口语中，表示可能性极大，几乎是必然的。

shi zhi ba jiu tong chang yong yu kou yu zhong, biao shi ke neng xing ji da, ji hu shi bi ran de

Shí zhī bā jiǔ is commonly used in spoken language, expressing a very high probability, almost certainty.

Examples

• 这次考试，我十之八九能考过。

  zhe ci kao shi,wo shi zhi ba jiu neng kao guo

  I will most likely pass this exam.

Related Idioms

• 十有八九

• 极有可能

Opposite Idioms

• 微乎其微

• 少之又少