招兵买马 recruit soldiers and buy horses
Explanation
旧时指组织或扩充武装力量。后比喻组织或扩充人力。
Formerly referring to the organization or expansion of armed forces, later used figuratively to describe the organization or expansion of manpower.
Origin Story
五代时期，后唐末年，河东节度使石敬瑭为了夺取权力，投降契丹，并割让燕云十六州。契丹趁机南下，攻占中原地区。中原百姓不堪其苦，纷纷起义。其中，有一支义军由刘知远领导。刘知远出身贫寒，早年丧父失母，流落到徐州沛县，娶了一位员外家的女儿为妻。因生活困苦，遭到妻子的兄长李洪的欺压。后来，媒人李三叔告诉他，太原的并州岳节度使正在招兵买马，劝他去投军。刘知远听从了劝告，前往太原应征。他从一个小小的更夫做起，凭借自己的才能和努力，一路升迁，最终成为九州安抚使，为国家做了不少贡献。这个故事告诉我们，只要有志气，有能力，即使出身贫寒，也能做出一番事业。
During the Five Dynasties period, at the end of the Later Tang Dynasty, Shi Jingtang, the governor of Hedong, surrendered to the Khitan to seize power, and ceded the sixteen prefectures of Yan and Yun. The Khitan seized the opportunity to advance southward and conquered the central China region. The people of central China suffered greatly and rose up in rebellion. Among them, an army was led by Liu Zhiyuan. Liu Zhiyuan came from a poor family and lost his parents at an early age. He drifted to Xu Zhou and Pei Xian, where he married the daughter of a wealthy man. Because of his poverty, he was oppressed by his wife's brother, Li Hong. Later, the matchmaker, Li Sanshu, told him that the military governor of Bingzhou in Taiyuan was recruiting soldiers and urged him to join the army. Liu Zhiyuan followed the advice and went to Taiyuan to enlist. He started as a lowly night watchman and, through his abilities and hard work, rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the governor of Jiu Zhou and making many contributions to the country. This story tells us that as long as there is ambition and ability, even those from poor backgrounds can achieve great things.
Usage
常用于形容扩大队伍、增加人手等情况。
Often used to describe expanding a team or increasing staffing levels.
Examples
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创业初期，公司需要招兵买马，迅速扩大规模。
chuangye chuqi, gongsi xuyao zhaobingmaimai, xunsushi kuoda guimo
In the early days of the company, we needed to recruit a large number of people to rapidly expand our scale.
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为了对抗强敌，他决定招兵买马，增强实力。
weile duikang qiangdi, ta jueding zhaobingmaimai, zengqiang shili
To fight against a strong enemy, he decided to recruit soldiers and buy horses to strengthen his power.