包打天下

bāodǎ-tiānxià

idiom

Meanings

1 to take on everything singlehandedly
2 to try to monopolize the whole job
3 to play the one-man show

Characters

take on, guarantee

Examples

一个人别想包打天下，要学会团队合作。

Yīgè rén bié xiǎng bāodǎtiānxià, yào xuéhuì tuánduì hézuò.

Don't try to do everything yourself — learn teamwork.

政府不可能包打天下，市场也要发挥作用。

Zhèngfǔ bùkě néng bāodǎtiānxià, shìchǎng yě yào fāhuī zuòyòng.

The government can't do it all — the market has its role to play too.

Tips

usage

Usually critical: implies arrogance or unrealistic scope. Often paired with negatives (不能 / 别想 / 不可能包打天下).

Stroke Order

包 bāo

打 dǎ

天 tiān

下 xià