胸有成竹
xiōng yoǔ chéng zhú · HSK 7
to plan in advance
🎋 胸+有+成+竹 = chest holds a finished bamboo: the plan is fully formed before you act
From a Song-dynasty note on the painter Wen Tong, who could render bamboo so well because the whole stalk was already worked out before his brush touched paper. So 胸有成竹 marks someone who has the full plan settled in advance, a sure card ready to play.
有 — hand 𠂇 + moon/meat 月
Originally depicted a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here is the 'meat' radical, not moon), expressing the idea of possessing something. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to hold/possess' to the general sense of 'to have' or 'there is/exists'.
成 — 戊 (halberd/weapon) + 丁 (nail/man)
Originally a pictograph of a halberd or axe-like weapon, suggesting the act of completing a task by force. Over time it shifted from 'to subdue' to the broader meaning 'to accomplish' or 'to become'. The 丁 element inside also hints at the chéng sound.