千里马

千里馬

qiānlǐmǎ

noun #66,411

Measure Word

一匹千里马 pǐ

Meanings

1 fine steed (literally 'thousand-mile horse')
2 person of exceptional talent
3 prodigy waiting to be discovered

Characters

Examples

世有伯乐，然后有千里马。

Shì yǒu Bólè, ránhòu yǒu qiānlǐmǎ.

Only when a Bole exists in the world can a 'thousand-mile horse' be recognized.

公司里其实有不少千里马，就缺识才的伯乐。

Gōngsī lǐ qíshí yǒu bù shǎo qiānlǐmǎ, jiù quē shí cái de Bólè.

There are plenty of hidden talents in the company; what's missing is a Bole who can spot them.

Tips

history

From Han Yu's (韩愈) Tang-dynasty essay 《马说》: '世有伯乐，然后有千里马。' A horse capable of running 1,000 li in a day is wasted unless someone like the legendary horse-judge Bole (伯乐) recognizes it. The phrase has become the standard metaphor for 'unrecognized talent'.

In Pop Culture

伯乐 Bólè

Bole

Legendary Spring-and-Autumn-period horse appraiser whose name became a metaphor for any mentor able to spot raw talent. Always invoked as the partner concept to 千里马.

Stroke Order

千 qiān

里 lǐ

马 mǎ