天之骄子 tiān zhī jiāo zǐ Child of destiny

Explanation

天之骄子，指的是老天爷的宠儿。最早指强盛的北方民族胡人，后也指为父母溺爱、放肆不受管束的儿子。这个词带有褒贬两种意思，褒义指的是有能力有才华的人，贬义指的是自以为是、目中无人的人。

The child of destiny refers to the darling of heaven. Originally, it referred to the powerful northern people of the Hu, but later also to the son who is spoiled by his parents and is unrestrained. The word has both positive and negative meanings. The positive meaning refers to capable and talented people, the negative meaning refers to self-righteous and arrogant people.

Origin Story

汉武帝时期，匈奴不断南侵，给汉朝边境带来巨大的威胁。汉武帝决心彻底消灭匈奴，于是派出了卫青、霍去病等名将率领大军，与匈奴展开了激烈的战斗。经过多次征战，匈奴逐渐衰落，汉朝取得了胜利。然而，匈奴并未彻底消失，他们仍然在汉朝边境活动，时不时地发动骚扰。汉武帝多次派兵征讨，却始终无法将匈奴彻底消灭，他感到非常苦恼。 有一次，汉武帝召集大臣商议如何对付匈奴。大臣们纷纷献策，有的主张派兵出击，有的主张和谈，有的主张修筑防御工事，等等。汉武帝听后，眉头紧锁，始终没有下定决心。 这时，一位大臣站出来，向汉武帝进言说：“陛下，匈奴虽然强大，但他们也并非不可战胜。只要我们采取正确的策略，一定能够将他们彻底消灭。我建议，我们可以采取‘远交近攻’的策略，与匈奴的邻国联手，共同打击匈奴。同时，我们也可以派人深入匈奴内部，瓦解他们的内部团结，让他们自乱阵脚。这样，我们就能以最小的代价，取得最大的胜利。” 汉武帝听后，眼前一亮，觉得这个计策非常可行。于是，他采纳了大臣的建议，开始实行“远交近攻”的策略。最终，汉朝成功地消灭了匈奴，取得了胜利。

hàn wǔ dì shí qī, xiōng nú bù duàn nán qīn, gěi hàn cháo biān jìng dài lái jù dà de wēi xié. hàn wǔ dì jué xīn chè dǐ miè diào xiōng nú, yú shì pài chū le wèi qīng, huò qù bìng děng míng jiàng shuài lǐng dà jūn, yǔ xiōng nú zhǎn kāi le jī liè de zhàn dòu. jīng guò duō cì zhēng zhàn, xiōng nú zhú jiàn shuāi luò, hàn cháo qǔ dé le shèng lì. rán ér, xiōng nú bìng wèi chè dǐ xiāo shī, tā men réng rán zài hàn cháo biān jìng huó dòng, shí bù shí de fā dòng sāo rǎo. hàn wǔ dì duō cì pài bīng zhēng tǎo, què shǐ zhōng wú fǎ jiāng xiōng nú chè dǐ miè diào, tā gǎn dào fēi cháng kǔ não.

During the Han Dynasty under Emperor Wu of Han, the Xiongnu repeatedly invaded the Han territory and posed a great threat to the border. Emperor Wu determined to completely eliminate the Xiongnu, so he sent famous generals such as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to lead the army to fight against the Xiongnu. After many battles, the Xiongnu gradually declined, and the Han Dynasty won the victory. However, the Xiongnu did not completely disappear, they remained active on the border of the Han Dynasty, launching harassment from time to time. Emperor Wu repeatedly sent troops to fight, but he was unable to completely eliminate the Xiongnu, and he felt very troubled.

Usage

这个成语可以形容那些自命不凡、目中无人的人。比如，一个年轻人总是觉得自己很优秀，看不起别人，可以称他为“天之骄子”。

zhè ge chéng yǔ kě yǐ xíng róng nà xiē zì mìng bù fán, mù zhōng wú rén de rén. bǐ rú, yī ge nián qīng rén zǒng shì jué de zì jǐ hěn yōu xiù, kàn bù qǐ bié rén, kě yǐ chēng tā wéi “tiān zhī jiāo zǐ”.

This idiom can describe those who are arrogant and look down on others. For example, a young man who always thinks he is very good and looks down on others can be called a “child of destiny.

Examples

• 他自认为是天之骄子，目中无人。

  tā zì rèn wéi shì tiān zhī jiāo zǐ, mù zhōng wú rén

  He thinks he is a child of destiny, above everyone else.

• 他出身名门望族，是名副其实的天之骄子。

  tā chū shēn míng mén wàng zú, shì míng fù qí shí de tiān zhī jiāo zǐ

  He comes from a noble family and is a true child of destiny.

Related Idioms

• 天纵英才

• 出类拔萃

Opposite Idioms

• 平庸之辈

• 碌碌无为