千军易得，一将难求

千軍易得，一將難求

qiānjūnyìdé,yījiàngnánqiú

idiom

Meanings

1 it's easy to raise an army of a thousand, but hard to find a single good general
2 talented leaders are far rarer than rank-and-file followers

Characters

，

general (military)

Examples

HSK 7-9

公司不缺员工，缺的是领军人物，真是千军易得，一将难求。

Gōngsī bù quē yuángōng, quē de shì lǐngjūn rénwù, zhēnshì qiānjūn yì dé, yī jiàng nán qiú.

The company doesn't lack employees, it lacks a leader - truly, an army is easy to raise, but a great general is hard to find.

HSK 7-9

教练叹道千军易得，一将难求啊！

Jiàoliàn tàn dào qiānjūn yì dé, yī jiàng nán qiú a!

The coach sighed: a thousand soldiers are easy to find, but one captain is rare indeed!

Tips

usage

Modern HR and management favorite - quoted whenever talent for a leadership role is in short supply. The proverb is old, appearing in Yuan-dynasty drama (元曲) and earlier.

Stroke Order

千 qiān

军 jūn

易 yì

得 de

一 yī

将 jiāng

难 nán

求 qiú