万马奔腾

Origin and story

Ling Mengchu's Ming story collection Pai An Jing Qi uses this image in chapter 22 to describe violent wind, not an actual cavalry charge. The sky seems filled with galloping horses, the treetops with troops, and the waves with drums. The surrounding story tells of a boat tied to a large tree; the storm topples the tree onto the vessel, destroying the security its passengers had trusted.

The image turns sound and movement into an immense rushing force. It can describe horses themselves, but its literary power also suits surging water, roaring weather, or other grand, energetic scenes.