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HSK 7-9
xuélearningwealthfivechēcarts
Learning enough to fill five carts of books.

Literal meaning

learning (学) — wealth (富) — five (五) — carts (车)

Origin

Zhuangzi (《庄子·天下》) praised the philosopher Hui Shi as having books that would fill five carts (惠施多方,其书五车). At a time when books were heavy bamboo strips, five cartloads meant a staggering personal library — and thus a staggering breadth of learning.

Examples

xuéchēxiěwénzhāngláiyǐnjīngdiǎn
He's prodigiously learned — his essays quote classical sources throughout.
shūguǎndelǎoguǎnzhǎngxuéchē
The old library director is a scholar of vast learning.

Usage & nuances

Literary, slightly archaic. Used to praise serious scholars or as a tongue-in-cheek compliment to someone with very specific deep knowledge.

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