稳操胜券

Pronunciation: wěn cāo shèng quàn Literal meaning: Firmly hold the winning ticket

Origin & Usage

A 券 was a tally — a contract split in two so that each party held half, and holding your half was the proof of your claim. To grip (操) the winning (胜) half securely (稳) is therefore not confidence but documentation: what the phrase asserts is that the outcome has already been established and the remaining play is a formality. Elections, negotiations and matches, and it is a strong claim, which is why it turns up so often in accounts of somebody who turned out to be wrong.

Examples

English: "With such a strong lead, victory seemed certain."

Chinese: 有了这么大的领先优势，他们稳操胜券。