Sānfēn luó-gǔ; qīfēn chàng.

三分鑼鼓, 七分唱。

Lit [The success of an opera performance depends only] thirty percent [on the accompanying] gongs and drums [and] seventy percent [on the] singing [of the actors and actresses].

Fig In any endeavor, success depends primarily on those who play the major role(s).

Note [Compare qī fēn luó-gǔ above.]

Topics Chinese opera SUCCESS