虎入羊群
虎入羊群 (hǔ rù yáng qún) literally means “a tiger loose in the flock” and expresses “unstoppable force against the defenceless”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.
Also searched as: hu ru yang qun, hu ru yang qun,虎入羊群 meaning, 虎入羊群 in english
Unstoppable force against the defenceless
Pronunciation: hǔ rù yáng qún Literal meaning: A tiger loose in the flock
Origin & Usage
The picture needs no explanation, which is why the phrase survived: overwhelming force meeting no resistance worth the name. It appears in Yuan drama and in the vernacular novels, usually to describe a single fighter breaking a line, and it carries a faint edge of judgement — the tiger is not admired so much as the flock is pitied. Modern use runs to sport, markets and any contest where the mismatch was obvious before it began. The useful nuance is that it describes a situation rather than a person: the same tiger in a different field is simply a tiger.
Examples
English: "One experienced striker against that defence was never going to be a contest."
Chinese: 他冲进对方阵中，如虎入羊群。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about strategy & action
胸有成竹
xiōng yǒu chéng zhú
Have clear plan beforehand
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步步为营
bù bù wéi yíng
Advance methodically with caution
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退避三舍
tuì bì sān shè
Make concessions to avoid conflict
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旁敲侧击
páng qiāo cè jī
Approach indirectly to achieve goal
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暗度陈仓
àn dù chén cāng
Achieve secretly through misdirection
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釜底抽薪
fǔ dǐ chōu xīn
Eliminate root cause of problem
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万马奔腾
wàn mǎ bēn téng
Powerful unstoppable momentum
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推波助澜
tuī bō zhù lán
Amplifying existing trends or momentum
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 虎入羊群 mean in English?
虎入羊群 (hǔ rù yáng qún) literally translates to “A tiger loose in the flock” and is used to express “Unstoppable force against the defenceless”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.
When is 虎入羊群 used?
Situation: One experienced striker against that defence was never going to be a contest.
What is the pinyin for 虎入羊群?
The pinyin pronunciation for 虎入羊群 is “hǔ rù yáng qún”.
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