Three idioms containing the word “horse” used in New Year messages and their real-life significance.
Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية
刘娜: Xiao Pan, did you watch the 2026 New Year message? It mentioned three idioms with the word “horse” that caught a lot of attention.
小潘: I did, teacher! They were “跃马扬鞭”, “万马奔腾”, and “马不停蹄”, but I don’t really understand their deeper meanings.
刘娜: Good, this is a great chance to learn idioms. “跃马扬鞭” originally described mounting a horse and setting off, and now it often means taking initiative and not fearing difficulties.
小潘: That sounds powerful. I’m thinking of young people in China returning to their hometowns to start businesses—would that be an example of “跃马扬鞭”?
刘娜: Yes, that’s very fitting. What about “万马奔腾”? Literally it means many horses running together, and now it often refers to people working together with great momentum.
小潘: I see, it’s a bit like villages in China developing their economy together. I think the collective spirit is very important.
刘娜: Well said. The last one is “马不停蹄”. It’s not about exhausting yourself, but about moving forward with a clear goal. In ancient poetry, horses were often used to express ambition.
小潘: I understand now. These idioms are very old, but they still encourage people to move forward today. That’s the wisdom of Chinese culture.
