天马行空

天馬行空

tiānmǎxíngkōng

idiom #30,698

Meanings

1 like a heavenly steed soaring across the sky
2 (of writing or imagination) bold and unconstrained
3 wildly imaginative; freewheeling

Characters

to travel; to move

sky; empty space

Examples

他的想象力天马行空，总能想出别人想不到的点子。

Tā de xiǎngxiànglì tiānmǎxíngkōng, zǒng néng xiǎngchū biérén xiǎngbudào de diǎnzi.

His imagination runs wild — he always comes up with ideas no one else could think of.

这部小说情节天马行空，充满想象力。

Zhè bù xiǎoshuō qíngjié tiānmǎxíngkōng, chōngmǎn xiǎngxiànglì.

The plot of this novel is bold and freewheeling, full of imagination.

Tips

history

From Liu Tingzhen's preface to 《萨天锡诗集》 (Yuan dynasty): 「其所以神化而超出于众表者，殆犹天马行空而步骤不凡」 — praising Sadula's poetry as having the bearing of a heavenly horse striding through empty sky. Originally pure praise; today it can also hint at being unrealistic.

usage

Positive when describing art, imagination, and creative writing. When applied to plans or reasoning it turns mildly critical: 'untethered from reality.'

Stroke Order

天 tiān

马 mǎ

行 xíng

空 kōng