马到成功

Pronunciation: mǎ dào chéng gōng Literal meaning: Success upon the horse's arrival

Origin & Usage

The horse (马) arrives (到) and the thing succeeds (成功). It belongs to Yuan drama, where a general's mount reaching the field is the moment the outcome is settled, and the compression is the point: no campaign, no struggle, just arrival and result. Chinese uses it almost entirely as a wish rather than a description. It is what you write to someone before an examination, a new job or an opening, and it pairs conventionally with 旗开得胜.

Examples

English: "The team wished her success from the moment she began."

Chinese: 团队祝愿她马到成功。