琴棋书画

琴棋書畫

qínqí-shūhuà

idiom

Meanings

1 the four arts of the Chinese scholar (qin, Go, calligraphy, painting)
2 a well-rounded classical education

Characters

Examples

她琴棋书画样样精通。

Tā qínqíshūhuà yàngyàng jīngtōng.

She has mastered all four scholar's arts: qin, Go, calligraphy and painting.

古代大家闺秀要学琴棋书画。

Gǔdài dàjiāguīxiù yào xué qínqíshūhuà.

Well-bred young women in ancient times had to study the four arts.

Tips

culture

The 四艺 (four arts) of the literati: 琴 the guqin (seven-string zither), 棋 the game of weiqi/Go, 书 calligraphy, 画 brush painting. Mastery was the mark of a cultivated 君子.

Stroke Order

琴 qín

棋 qí

书 shū

画 huà