胸有成竹 (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) -To have a well-thought-out plan

In the Song Dynasty, there was an artist whose name was Wen Tong. he was famous for his bamboo paintings.

He grew various bamboos everywhere around his house. He loved to observe the growth of the bamboo no matter whether it was sunny or rainy.

After a long time, the image of the bamboo in different seasons, under different weather conditions and different moments were deeply imprinted in his mind.

So when he stood before the paper and picked up a paint brush, the various forms of bamboo rose before his eyes at once.

The phrase “胸有成竹(xiōngyǒuchéngzhú)” means having plans or designs ready in one’s mind before doing a certain job so that its success is guaranteed. It also means being calm and sober-minded in dealing with things. “胸( xiōng)” means chest, “有( yǒu)” means have, “成( chéng)” means accomplish and “竹(zhú)” means bamboo.