xiōng胸chestyǒu有havechéng成completezhú竹bamboo
To have a well-thought-out plan; to have something up one's sleeve.
Literal meaning
chest (胸) — have (有) — complete (成) — bamboo (竹)
Origin
This idiom comes from the story of the painter Wen Tong in the Song Dynasty, who was famous for his bamboo paintings. Before painting, he would visualize the bamboo in his mind, so when he painted, it looked very realistic. Thus, '胸有成竹' means to have a well-thought-out plan before doing something.
Examples
tā他xiōng胸yǒu有chéng成zhú竹，yī一dìng定néng能bǎ把zhè这jiàn件shì事zuò做hǎo好。
He has a well-thought-out plan and will definitely be able to do this well.
miàn面duì对tiǎo挑zhàn战，wǒ我men们yào要xiōng胸yǒu有chéng成zhú竹，chén沉zhuó着yìng应duì对。
Facing challenges, we must have a well-thought-out plan and calmly respond.
Usage & nuances
Describes being well-prepared and confident in one's plan.
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