弹无虚发 (dàn wú xū fā) — every shot hits the target; to succeed in every attempt

Definition

Idiom meaning 'every shot hits the mark' — used both literally for sharpshooters and figuratively for any consistently successful effort (investments, exams, etc.).

idiom
every shot hits the targetto succeed in every attempt

Examples

  • 弹无虚发，。
    Nà wèi shén qiāng shǒu dàn wú xū fā, yíng dé le jīn pái.
    That sharpshooter hit the mark every time and won the gold medal.
  • 弹无虚发，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de tóu zī cè lüè dàn wú xū fā, měi gè xiàng mù dōu hěn chéng gōng.
    This company's investment strategy hits the mark every time; every project is very successful.
  • ，。
    Tā zài zhè cì kǎo shì zhōng dàn wú xū fā, dá duì le suǒ yǒu tí.
    In this exam, he hit the mark every time and answered all questions correctly.

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 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōng
Sound part声符shēngfú
單
單dān彈tán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

Open 弹 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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