Chinese Idiom: 胸有成竹 (Xiong You Cheng Zhu)
English Translation: Having a bamboo forest in one’s heart
pīn yīn: xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
Idiom Meaning: This idiom metaphorically means that one has a clear plan or understanding of a task before starting, indicating confidence in success.
Historical Source: From Su Shi’s essay On Wen Tong’s Bamboo Painting (《文与可画贫笃谷偃竹记》) in the Song Dynasty.
Idiom Story:
During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a scholar named Wen Tong, known for his proficiency in poetry and literature, as well as his expertise in various calligraphy styles, including seal, clerical, running, and cursive scripts. He was also an exceptional painter.
Wen Tong had a particular passion for bamboo and planted numerous bamboo trees around his home. He dedicated much time to observing these bamboos in all seasons, studying their growth and the changes in their shapes and leaves under various conditions. Each time he gained new insights, he would return to his study, spread out his paper, grind his ink, and paint. His bamboo paintings were strikingly realistic and expressive.
The renowned poet Su Shi praised Wen Tong’s artistic method, stating, “To paint bamboo, one must first have the image of bamboo firmly established in their heart.” Wen Tong’s close friend, poet Chao Buzhi, also wrote a poem celebrating his talent, which included the line: “When Wen Tong paints bamboo, he already has the image in his heart.”
From this story, the phrase “胸中有成竹” (having a bamboo image in the heart) evolved into the idiom 胸有成竹, symbolizing the idea that thorough preparation and understanding lead to confidence in achieving success before even starting a task.
