驾轻就熟

Pronunciation: jià qīng jiù shú Literal meaning: Drive light vehicle, approach familiarity

Origin & Usage

Han Yu, recommending the recluse Shi Hong for office, praised the way he talked: set him to discussing principle, weighing whether things past and present were right, ranking men and predicting how affairs would end, and it came 若驷马驾轻车就熟路 — like four horses driving (驾) a light (轻) carriage onto (就) a familiar (熟) road. He pairs it with a river bursting its banks. Both this phrase and 轻车熟路 come out of that one line, and they differ in what they foreground: the other names the conditions, and this one the driving. Somebody taking on work squarely inside what they have done before — and it is a claim about the person rather than about the road.

Examples

English: "After years of practice, playing the piano came naturally."

Chinese: 经过多年练习，弹钢琴已驾轻就熟。