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.
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