唾手可得 Tuò shǒu kě dé at one's fingertips

Explanation

形容很容易得到,不费吹灰之力。

It describes something that is easily obtained without any effort.

Origin Story

唐太宗时期,唐朝的属国高丽发生内乱,大臣卞氏杀死了唐太宗所立的国王后自立为王。唐太宗决定亲征高丽,但大将褚遂良认为这只是小事一桩,只需派出一两名精干的大将率领十万大军,便可轻而易举地平定高丽。他认为高丽的叛乱如同囊中之物,唾手可得。太宗采纳了褚遂良的建议,派兵征讨高丽,最终平息了叛乱,高丽也重新臣服于唐朝。这个故事说明,有时候,看起来困难的事情,只要方法得当,也可能轻而易举地解决。

Táng Tàizōng shíqī, Táng cháo de shǔ guó Gāolǐ fāshēng nèiluàn, dà chén Biàn shì shā sǐle Táng Tàizōng suǒ lì de guówáng hòu zì lì wèi wáng. Táng Tàizōng juédìng qīn zhēng Gāolǐ, dàn dà jiàng Chǔ Suìliáng rènwéi zhè zhǐshì xiǎoshì yī zhuāng, zhǐ xū pài chū yī liǎng míng jīnggàn de dà jiàng shuài lǐng shí wàn dàjūn, biàn kě qīng'ér yīqǔ de píngdìng Gāolǐ. Tā rènwéi Gāolǐ de pànluàn rútóng náng zhōng zhī wù, tuò shǒu kě dé. Tàizōng cǎinà le Chǔ Suìliáng de jiànyì, pài bīng zhēngtǎo Gāolǐ, zhōngyú píngxī le pànluàn, Gāolǐ yě chóngxīn chénfú yú Táng cháo. Zhège gùshì shuōmíng, yǒuxiē shíhòu, kàn qǐlái kùnnan de shìqíng, zhǐyào fāngfǎ dědàng, yě kěnéng qīng'ér yīqǔ de jiějué.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Korea, a vassal state of China, experienced internal strife. A minister named Bian killed the king appointed by Taizong and proclaimed himself king. Taizong decided to personally lead an expedition to Korea, but General Chu Suiliang argued that this was a minor matter, and sending one or two capable generals with an army of 100,000 men would easily quell the rebellion in Korea. He believed that the Korean rebellion was easily within reach. Taizong adopted Chu Suiliang’s suggestion, and sent troops to conquer Korea. Eventually, the rebellion was put down, and Korea once again submitted to the Tang Dynasty. This story illustrates that sometimes, seemingly difficult tasks can be easily accomplished with the right approach.

Usage

用于形容事情容易做到,不费力气。

yòng yú xiángróng shìqíng róngyì zuòdào, bù fèi lìqi

Used to describe that something is easy to do without much effort.

Examples

  • 对于他来说,升职加薪简直是唾手可得。

    duì yú tā lái shuō, shēng zhí jiā xīn jiǎnzhí shì tuò shǒu kě dé

    For him, promotion and salary increase are simply at his fingertips.

  • 这个难题,对于经验丰富的他来说,简直是唾手可得。

    zhège nán tí, duì yú jīngyàn fēngfù de tā lái shuō, jiǎnzhí shì tuò shǒu kě dé

    This problem is simply at his fingertips for him, an experienced person