10 Chinese Idioms About Power & Authority
Commanding Chinese idioms about power, authority, and the responsibilities that come with leadership.
Power and authority have fascinated Chinese thinkers for millennia. These idioms examine the nature of leadership, the responsibilities of those in power, and the inevitable cycles of rise and fall.
画龙点睛
huà lóng diǎn jīngAdd crucial finishing touch
Literal: Dot dragon's eyes
This vivid idiom comes from a story of the legendary painter Zhang Sengyou during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. After painting (画) four dragons (龙) on a temple wall, he deliberately left them without pupils. When questioned, he explained that dotting (点) the eyes (睛) would bring them t...
Example
Her final edit transformed the good presentation into an excellent one
她最后的修改把这个好的演讲变成了一个出色的演讲
狐假虎威
hú jiǎ hǔ wēiBorrow authority to intimidate
Literal: Fox uses tiger's power
This idiom emerged from a Warring States period fable where a fox (狐) borrowed (假) the authority (威) of a tiger (虎) to intimidate other animals. The story first appeared in the Zhan Guo Ce, using the clever fox and powerful tiger to criticize political parasites who derived their influence from powe...
Example
The junior manager kept dropping the CEO's name to get his way
这个初级经理总是搬出CEO的名字来达到目的
运筹帷幄
yùn chóu wéi wòPlan strategy carefully
Literal: Plan behind curtain
Rooted in military strategy, this idiom describes making crucial decisions behind the curtains (帷幄) of a military command tent while planning (运筹) campaigns. It gained prominence through records of Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty, who was praised for his strategic planning abilities within his ...
Example
The CEO quietly developed the company's expansion strategy
首席执行官在幕后静静地制定公司的扩张战略
深谋远虑
shēn móu yuǎn lǜPlan far ahead
Literal: Deep plan far thought
Combining deep (深) planning (谋) with far-reaching (远) consideration (虑), this idiom emerged from Western Han political philosophy. It appeared in historical accounts praising strategists who could anticipate complex consequences of their actions. The phrase gained prominence during the Three Kingdom...
Example
The policy makers considered implications decades into the future
政策制定者考虑了几十年后的影响
迫在眉睫
pò zài méi jiéExtremely urgent
Literal: Urgent as brow and lash
This visceral idiom describes urgency so pressing (迫) it's between (在) the eyebrows (眉) and eyelashes (睫). Its earliest recorded use comes from Tang Dynasty military dispatches, where commanders needed to convey the immediate nature of threats. The anatomical metaphor was chosen deliberately - the s...
Example
The deadline was so close that immediate action was necessary
截止日期迫在眉睫，需要立即采取行动
步步为营
bù bù wéi yíngAdvance methodically with caution
Literal: Each step make camp
This strategic approach emerged from Han Dynasty military manuals, describing armies that established (为) a secure camp (营) with each step (步步) of their advance. The tactic gained fame during the Three Kingdoms period when general Cao Cao used it to campaign through difficult terrain. Unlike rapid d...
Example
The company expanded cautiously, securing each market before moving to the next
公司谨慎扩张，在进军下一个市场前先稳固每一个市场
暗度陈仓
àn dù chén cāngAchieve secretly through misdirection
Literal: Secretly cross Chencang
This strategic idiom refers to secretly (暗) crossing/passing (度) through Chencang (陈仓), originating from Han Xin's famous military maneuver during the Chu-Han contention (206-202 BCE). Historical records describe how Han Xin pretended to repair roads in one location while secretly moving troops thro...
Example
The company quietly developed the technology while competitors focused elsewhere
当竞争对手将注意力集中在其他地方时，该公司悄悄地开发了这项技术
本末倒置
běn mò dào zhìPrioritize minor over fundamental matters
Literal: Root branch reversed position
This organizational idiom criticizes reversing (倒置) the proper order of root/fundamental (本) and branch/peripheral matters (末), originating from Han Dynasty governance texts. It first appeared in discussions about administrative priorities, warning officials against focusing on secondary issues whil...
Example
The project focused on minor details while neglecting the core objectives
项目专注于次要细节，而忽视了核心目标
叶公好龙
yè gōng hào lóngProfessed love hiding actual fear
Literal: Lord Ye loves dragons
This ironic tale tells of Lord Ye (叶公) who professed to love (好) dragons (龙) but fled in terror when faced with a real one. During the Six Dynasties period, it became a standard criticism of superficial appreciation without genuine understanding. The dragon imagery carried particular weight in Chine...
Example
The executive claimed to value innovation but rejected every new idea presented
这位高管声称重视创新，但拒绝了提出的每一个新想法
不可思议
bù kě sī yìBeyond comprehension or explanation
Literal: Cannot be thought discussed
Early Buddhist sutras translated during the Eastern Han Dynasty brought us this description of matters that cannot (不可) be comprehended through thought or discussion (思议). Originally describing transcendent Buddha-realms beyond ordinary understanding, Tang Dynasty writers adopted it for any phenomen...
Example
The quantum phenomenon defied all conventional understanding of physics
这种量子现象违背了对物理学的所有常规理解
Quick Reference
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