引火烧身
引火烧身 (yǐn huǒ shāo shēn) literally means “draw fire burn self” and expresses “bring trouble upon oneself”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: yin huo shao shen, yin huo shao shen,引火烧身 meaning, 引火烧身 in english
Bring trouble upon oneself
Pronunciation: yǐn huǒ shāo shēn Literal meaning: Draw fire burn self
Origin & Usage
To draw (引) the fire (火) and have it burn (烧) yourself (身). The phrase describes an action aimed outward that returns on the person who took it, and Chinese distinguishes it carefully from simple bad luck: the fire was fetched deliberately. It has a second and quite different use in political language, where 引火烧身 means volunteering yourself for criticism — inviting the fire onto your own head in order to start a discussion that otherwise would not happen.
Examples
English: "His questionable business practices eventually led to his downfall"
Chinese: 他不当的商业行为最终导致了自己的垮台
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
隔岸观火
gé àn guān huǒ
Observe troubles from safe distance
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城门失火
chéng mén shī huǒ
Innocent bystanders suffer from others' problems
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抱薪救火
bào xīn jiù huǒ
Make situation worse
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飞蛾扑火
fēi é pū huǒ
Be irresistibly drawn toward self-destruction
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火冒三丈
huǒ mào sān zhàng
Explode in extreme anger or rage
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洞若观火
dòng ruò guān huǒ
Understand with absolute clarity
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炉火纯青
lú huǒ chún qīng
Highest level of mastery; consummate skill
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赴汤蹈火
fù tāng dǎo huǒ
Go through fire and water; brave any danger
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 引火烧身 mean in English?
引火烧身 (yǐn huǒ shāo shēn) literally translates to “Draw fire burn self” and is used to express “Bring trouble upon oneself”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 引火烧身 used?
Situation: His questionable business practices eventually led to his downfall
What is the pinyin for 引火烧身?
The pinyin pronunciation for 引火烧身 is “yǐn huǒ shāo shēn”.
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