胸有成竹
Meaning: To have a well-formed plan ready before you begin.
Language: Chinese
Literally: To have a full bamboo in your chest
Category: Nature
Origin: From a Song-dynasty painter who pictured the entire bamboo in his mind before his brush ever touched the silk.
More idioms — Nature
- Τρώω κουτόχορτο — To act like an idiot, as if drugged into stupidity.
- Découvrir le pot aux roses — To uncover a hidden secret.
- Once in a blue moon — Very rarely.
- To break the ice — To ease the initial tension in a social situation.
- To give a wide berth — To keep well away from someone or something.
- Echar leña al fuego — To make a bad situation worse.
More Chinese idioms
- 井底之蛙 — Someone with a narrow, limited worldview.
- 守株待兔 — Vainly hoping a lucky fluke will repeat itself.
- 塞翁失马 — A blessing in disguise; fortune is unpredictable.
- 狐假虎威 — To bully others using borrowed power.
- 入乡随俗 — When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
- 一箭双雕 — To achieve two things with a single act.
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