諺語 · a single proverb
下筆成章
Simplified: 下笔成章
What does 下筆成章 (xià bǐ chéng zhāng) mean?
下筆成章 (xià bǐ chéng zhāng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "when the brush touches paper, a composition forms." In use it means: Effortless literary talent; the ability to produce polished work on the first attempt. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "when the brush touches paper, a composition forms."
The reading
Cao Zhi set down his brush and a poem appeared, fully formed, as though it had been waiting inside the ink. This looks like genius. It is actually the visible tip of ten thousand poems that came before, most of them bad, all of them necessary. The brush moves easily because the mind moved laboriously for years before it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Biography of Cao Zhi; Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 下筆成章 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 下筆成章 (xià bǐ chéng zhāng) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Biography of Cao Zhi; Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 下筆成章?
In Mandarin it is xià bǐ chéng zhāng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 下筆成章 aloud in Mandarin.