成竹在胸 chéng zhú zài xiōng have a complete plan

Explanation

比喻做事之前已经有充分的准备和把握。

It means having full preparation and confidence before doing something.

Origin Story

话说宋代大画家苏轼与文同皆善画竹，苏轼尤其擅长画墨竹。一日，苏轼与友人闲谈，友人问及苏轼画竹之法，苏轼云：‘予之画竹，必先成竹于胸中而后落笔。’原来，苏轼作画之前，早已将竹子的形态、枝叶的走向、墨色的浓淡等细节烂熟于心，胸有成竹，故而下笔如有神，画出的竹子栩栩如生，神韵十足。文同则不同，他家宅前种满了竹子，每日细心观察竹子的生长变化，他认为，要画好竹子，必须深入生活，体察其生长规律。所以文同画竹，笔墨自然，形态各异，也自有其一番韵味。苏轼与文同，两人画法不同，却都成就了画坛佳话，这便是‘成竹在胸’的生动写照。

huà shuō sòng dài dà huà jiā sū shì yǔ wén tóng jiē shàn huà zhú, sū shì yóu qí shàn cháng huà mò zhú. yī rì, sū shì yǔ yǒu rén xián tán, yǒu rén wèn jí sū shì huà zhú zhī fǎ, sū shì yún: ‘yǔ zhī huà zhú, bì xiān chéng zhú yú xiōng zhōng ér hòu luò bǐ.’ yuán lái, sū shì zuò huà zhī qián, zǎo yǐ jiāng zhú zi de xíng tài, zhī yè de zǒu xiàng, mò sè de nóng dàn děng xì jié làn shú yú xīn, xiōng yǒu chéng zhú, gù ér xià bǐ rú yǒu shén, huà chū de zhú zi xǔ xǔ shēng shēng, shén yùn shí zú. wén tóng zé bù tóng, tā jiā zhái qián zhòng mǎn le zhú zi, měi rì xì xīn guān chá zhú zi de shēng zhǎng biàn huà, tā rèn wéi, yào huà hǎo zhú zi, bì xū shēn rù shēng huó, tǐ chá qí shēng zhǎng guī lǜ. suǒ yǐ wén tóng huà zhú, bǐ mò zì rán, xíng tài gè yì, yě zì yǒu qí yī fān yùn wèi. sū shì yǔ wén tóng, liǎng rén huà fǎ bù tóng, què dōu chéng jiù le huà tán jiā huà, zhè biàn shì ‘chéng zhú zài xiōng’ de shēng dòng xiě zhào.

It is said that Su Shi and Wen Tong, two great painters of the Song Dynasty, were both skilled in painting bamboo. Su Shi was particularly adept at painting ink bamboo. One day, Su Shi was chatting with a friend, who asked about Su Shi's method of painting bamboo. Su Shi replied: 'When I paint bamboo, I always have a complete picture of the bamboo in my mind before I start painting.' It turns out that before painting, Su Shi had already thoroughly memorized the shape of the bamboo, the direction of the branches and leaves, the shades of ink, and other details. He had everything under control, so his brushstrokes seemed magically guided. The bamboo paintings he created were vivid and full of expression. Wen Tong, on the other hand, planted many bamboo plants in front of his house and carefully observed their growth and changes every day. He believed that to paint bamboo well, one must immerse oneself in life and understand its growth patterns. Therefore, Wen Tong's bamboo paintings had natural brushstrokes, varied forms, and their own unique charm. Su Shi and Wen Tong, with their different painting methods, both created masterpieces of painting. This is a vivid illustration of "Cheng Zhu Zai Xiong".

Usage

常用来形容一个人做事之前已经有了周密的计划和充分的准备，对事情的结果胸有成竹。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng yīgè rén zuò shì zhī qián yǐjīng yǒule zhōumì de jìhuà hé chōngfèn de zhǔnbèi, duì shìqíng de jiéguǒ xiōng yǒu chéng zhú.

Often used to describe someone who has a detailed plan and sufficient preparation before doing something, and is confident about the outcome.

Examples

• 他胸有成竹地走上了演讲台。

  tā xiōng yǒu chéng zhú de zǒu shàng le yǎnjiǎng tái

  He confidently walked onto the stage.

• 面对突发事件，他成竹在胸，应对自如。

  miàn duì tūfā shìjiàn, tā chéng zhú zài xiōng, yìngduì zìrú

  Facing unexpected events, he remained calm and composed

Related Idioms

• 胸有成竹

• 心中有数

• 运筹帷幄

Opposite Idioms

• 手足无措

• 慌慌张张

• 犹豫不决