驾轻就熟 (jià qīng jiù shú) — to deal with a familiar task with ease and skill

Definition

A chengyu meaning to handle a familiar task with ease and skill, implying prior experience makes it effortless. Reads as written/formal Chinese — too bookish for everyday chat.

idiom

to deal with a familiar task with ease and skill

Examples

，驾轻就熟。
Tā zuò zhè xiàng gōng zuò duō nián, zǎo jiù jià qīng jiù shú le.
He has been doing this job for years and can handle it with ease.
驾轻就熟，。
Zhè zhǒng cāo zuò duì tā lái shuō jià qīng jiù shú, wán quán bù xū yào bāng máng.
This kind of operation is a breeze for him; he doesn't need any help at all.
，驾轻就熟，。
Suī rán rèn wu hěn fù zá, dàn tā jià qīng jiù shú, hěn kuài jiù wán chéng le.
Although the task was complex, he handled it expertly and finished quickly.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 駕; 驾 is its simplified writing.

加馬駕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

馬馬mǎ

Sound part声符shēngfú

加

加jiā駕jià

Same sound today

In the traditional form 駕, 馬 relates to a horse, and 加 gives the sound; this story is about 駕, not the simplified 驾.

Open 驾 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 輕; 轻 is its simplified writing.

車巠輕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūcarriage

Sound part声符shēngfú

巠

巠jīng輕qīng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輕 pairs 車, a carriage, with 巠 to give the sound; it originally named a light carriage. The simplified 轻 is only a later shorthand.

Open 轻 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

享享xiǎng
京京jīng

An older form paired 享, a temple, with 京, a tower, showing sacrifice at a high place; in 就 the temple part was dropped and a right part for going upward was added.

Open 就 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

孰灬熟