Chinese idiom · 成语
金戈铁马
Meaning
Metal spears, iron horses; fierce warfare.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary imageryThe expression combines two older martial images. Xie Tiao's Southern Qi poem on a royal waterside banquet describes metal weapons glittering in sunlight; Lu Chui's Liang inscription portrays great ranks of armored horses. These passages supply the separate elements, not the complete four-character idiom.
The combined phrase appears in Li Xiji's writings quoted in the Old History of the Five Dynasties, where it evokes destructive warfare. Xin Qiji later uses it in his famous Yong Yu Le lyric to summon the force of past military exploits. Depending on context, the idiom can suggest magnificent martial energy or the reality of war; the horses are armored, not made of iron.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这部电影把金戈铁马的战争场面拍得很震撼。
The film makes its scenes of mounted warfare deeply impressive.
A literary expression for warfare or imposing martial energy.