驷马 (sì mǎ) — (archaic noun) a team of four horses (used primarily in the idiom 一言既出，驷马难追)

Definition

Archaic literary word for a four-horse team, used almost exclusively in the idiom 一言既出，驷马难追 ('a word once spoken cannot be overtaken even by four horses').

noun
(archaic noun) a team of four horses (used primarily in the idiom 一言既出，驷马难追)

Examples

  • ，驷马，。
    Yì yán jì chū, sì mǎ nán zhuī, shuō huà zhī qián yào sān sī.
    Once a word is spoken, a team of four horses cannot chase it back—think twice before you speak.
  • ，驷马。
    Gǔ shí hou, zhǐ yǒu zhū hóu cái néng chéng zuò sì pǐ mǎ lā de sì mǎ.
    In ancient times, only feudal lords could ride in a carriage pulled by a team of four horses.
  • ，驷马，。
    Zhàn chǎng shàng, sì mǎ zhàn chē jí chí ér guò, yáng qǐ màn tiān chén tǔ.
    On the battlefield, a chariot with a team of four horses sped by, raising clouds of dust.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

驷sìfour horses
马mǎhorse

驷 denotes four horses and 马 denotes a horse, together a four-horse team.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

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