完璧归赵 wán bì guī zhào Perfect return to Zhao

Explanation

这个成语出自《史记·廉颇蔺相如列传》，讲述的是战国时期，赵国丞相蔺相如奉命将和氏璧送往秦国，与秦王交换十五座城池。秦王贪图和氏璧，想以假城池来欺骗赵国，蔺相如机智过人，运用计谋，将和氏璧完璧归赵的故事。后用来比喻把原物完好地归还本人。

This idiom comes from the "Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" and tells the story of Lin Xiangru, the prime minister of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period, who was sent to Qin to deliver the He's Bi and exchange it for 15 cities with the King of Qin. The King of Qin coveted the He's Bi and wanted to deceive Zhao with fake cities. Lin Xiangru was clever and used tricks to return the He's Bi safely to Zhao. It was later used to illustrate returning the original intact to the original owner.

Origin Story

战国时期，秦国非常强大，赵国则比较弱小。秦王昭襄王听说赵惠文王得到了稀世珍宝和氏璧，就想以假换真，用15座城池来换取和氏璧。赵王派蔺相如带着和氏璧前去秦国，蔺相如担心和氏璧落入秦王手中，就先跟秦王说：“您要是不把城池先给我，我就带着和氏璧回去了。”秦王没有办法，只好答应先把城池画下来交给蔺相如，蔺相如才把和氏璧交给了秦王。 秦王拿到和氏璧后，却反悔了，他故意拖延时间，不提交换城池的事。蔺相如发现秦王有诈，便设法骗回了和氏璧，并派人连夜将和氏璧送回赵国，秦王气得要杀死蔺相如，但蔺相如机智勇敢，最终还是安全地回到了赵国。 蔺相如用智慧和勇气，成功地将和氏璧完璧归赵，保住了赵国的国宝，也让秦王阴谋破产。这个故事告诉我们，在与强敌交锋时，不仅需要勇敢，还需要机智和智慧，才能取得最终的胜利。

zhàn guó shí qī, qín guó fēi cháng qiáng dà, zhào guó zé bǐ jiào ruò xiǎo. qín wáng zhāo xiāng wáng tīng shuō zhào huì wén wáng dé dào le xī shì zhēn bǎo hé shì bì, jiù xiǎng yǐ jiǎ huàn zhēn, yòng shí wǔ zuò chéng chí lái huàn qǔ hé shì bì. zhào wáng pài lìn xiāng rú dài zhe hé shì bì qián qù qín guó, lìn xiāng rú dān xīn hé shì bì luò rù qín wáng shǒu zhōng, jiù xiān gēn qín wáng shuō:“nín yào bù shì bǎ chéng chí xiān gěi wǒ, wǒ jiù dài zhe hé shì bì huí qù le.” qín wáng méi yǒu bàn fǎ, zhǐ hǎo dā yìng xiān bǎ chéng chí huà xià lái jiāo gěi lìn xiāng rú, lìn xiāng rú cái bǎ hé shì bì jiāo gěi le qín wáng. qín wáng ná dào hé shì bì hòu, què fǎn huǐ le, tā gù yì tuō yán shí jiān, bù tí jiāo huàn chéng chí de shì. lìn xiāng rú fā xiàn qín wáng yǒu zhà, biàn shè fǎ piàn huí le hé shì bì, bìng pài rén lián yè jiāng hé shì bì sòng huí zhào guó, qín wáng qì de yào shā sǐ lìn xiāng rú, dàn lìn xiāng rú jī zhì yǒng gǎn, zuì zhōng hái shì ān quán de huí dào le zhào guó. lìn xiāng rú yòng zhì huì hé yǒng qì, chéng gōng de jiāng hé shì bì wán bì guī zhào, bǎo zhù le zhào guó de guó bǎo, yě ràng qín wáng yīn móu pò chǎn. zhè ge gù shì gàosu wǒ men, zài yǔ qiáng dí jiāo fēng shí, bù jǐn xū yào yǒng gǎn, hái xū yào jī zhì hé zhì huì, cái néng qǔ dé zuì zhōng de shèng lì.

During the Warring States period, the Qin state was very powerful, while the Zhao state was relatively weak. King Zhaoxiang of Qin heard that King Huiwen of Zhao had obtained the rare treasure He's Bi, and wanted to make a fake exchange, using 15 cities to exchange for He's Bi. King Zhao sent Lin Xiangru with the He's Bi to Qin. Lin Xiangru worried that He's Bi would fall into the hands of King Qin, so he told King Qin first: "If you don't give me the cities first, I will take the He's Bi back." King Qin had no choice but to agree to draw the cities first and give them to Lin Xiangru, before Lin Xiangru gave He's Bi to King Qin. After King Qin got He's Bi, he went back on his word. He deliberately delayed and did not mention the exchange of cities. Lin Xiangru realized that King Qin was up to something, and managed to cheat back He's Bi. He sent people to send He's Bi back to Zhao overnight. King Qin was so angry that he wanted to kill Lin Xiangru, but Lin Xiangru was smart and brave, and finally returned safely to Zhao. Lin Xiangru used his wisdom and courage to successfully return He's Bi to Zhao intact, protecting Zhao's national treasure and foiling King Qin's conspiracy. This story tells us that when confronting strong enemies, we need not only courage, but also intelligence and wisdom to achieve ultimate victory.

Usage

这个成语多用于比喻把东西完好地归还，也可用在赞扬人忠诚可靠，能够完成任务。

zhè ge chéng yǔ duō yòng yú bǐ yù bǎ dōng xī wán hǎo de guī huán, yě kě yòng zài zàn yáng rén zhōng chéng kě kào, néng gòu wán chéng rèn wù.

This idiom is often used to illustrate returning things intact, but also to praise people who are loyal and reliable and can accomplish tasks.

Examples

  • 他把借来的书完好无损地还给了图书馆，真是～

    tā bǎ jiè lái de shū wán hǎo wú sǔn de huán gěi le tú shū guǎn, zhēn shì wán bì guī zhào

    He returned the borrowed book to the library without any damage, truly a perfect return to Zhao

  • 这次谈判，我们一定要～，把所有问题都解决好

    zhè cì tán pán, wǒ men yī dìng yào wán bì guī zhào, bǎ suǒ yǒu wèn tí dōu jiě jué hǎo

    In this negotiation, we must return everything to Zhao perfectly and resolve all problems

Related Idioms

  • 物归原主

  • 完璧无缺

Opposite Idioms

  • 支离破碎

  • 七零八落