放虎归山

Pronunciation: fàng hǔ guī shān Literal meaning: Release a tiger back to the mountain

Origin & Usage

The idiom 放虎归山 (fàng hǔ guī shān) originates from the historical context of the Three Kingdoms period, as recorded in the 《零陵先贤传》. The story involves Liu Zhang, the governor of Yi Province, who invited the warlord Liu Bei to help defend against Cao Cao's forces. Despite warnings from his advisor Liu Ba that allowing Liu Bei into the region would be like 'releasing a tiger back into the mountains,' Liu Zhang proceeded. Liu Bei eventually turned against Liu Zhang, capturing Chengdu and solidifying his power in Sichuan. The idiom literally means 'release a tiger back to the mountain' (放, release; 虎, tiger; 归, return; 山, mountain). It serves as a cautionary metaphor for allowing a potential threat to regain strength, often used to describe situations where one inadvertently empowers an adversary.

Examples

English: "By letting him go, she unleashed a dangerous rival."

Chinese: 放虎归山后，她释放了一个危险的对手。