十八般武艺

十八般武藝
shíbā bān wǔyì
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 skill with all eighteen traditional weapons
  2. 2 every skill one could need

Examples

HSK 6
Zhè wèi wǔshù lǎoshī shíbā bān wǔyì yàngyàng dōu huì.
This martial arts teacher can handle every one of the eighteen weapons.
HSK 7-9
Wèile bǎ zhè jiā xiǎodiàn jīngyíng hǎo, tā náchū le shíbā bān wǔyì, cóng zuòfàn dào jìzhàng quándōu zìjǐ lái.
To keep her little shop going she used every skill she had, doing everything herself from cooking to bookkeeping.

Tips

culture
The eighteen weapons were never a fixed list. One version, from 《水浒传》, runs: spear, hammer, bow, crossbow, gun, whip, mace, sword, chain, claw, axe, battle-axe, dagger-axe, halberd, shield, staff, lance and fork.

Stroke Order

十 shí
八 bā
般 bān
武 wǔ
艺 yì