国士无双

國士無雙

guóshì-wúshuāng

idiom

Meanings

1 a peerless national talent
2 one of a kind in the country

Characters

scholar; gentleman

Examples

HSK 4

韩信国士无双，刘邦怎能不用？

Hán Xìn guóshì-wúshuāng, Liú Bāng zěn néng búyòng?

Han Xin was a peerless national talent - how could Liu Bang not employ him?

HSK 7-9

他的科研成就，堪称国士无双。

Tā de kēyán chéngjiù, kānchēng guóshì-wúshuāng.

His scientific achievements are without equal in the country.

HSK 7-9

在日本麻将里，国士无双是最大的役满之一。

Zài Rìběn májiàng lǐ, guóshì-wúshuāng shì zuì dà de yìmǎn zhīyī.

In Japanese mahjong, Kokushi Musou is one of the biggest yakuman hands.

Tips

history

From 《史记·淮阴侯列传》: 诸将易得耳，至如信者，国士无双 - Xiao He telling Liu Bang that generals are easy to find, but a man like Han Xin is one-of-a-kind in the realm.

culture

In Japanese riichi mahjong the idiom names the 13-orphans yakuman (国士無双) - a hand of all 1s, 9s, and honor tiles. Chinese mahjong fans borrow the term back.

Stroke Order

国 guó

士 shì

无 wú

双 shuāng