10 Chinese Idioms About Appearance vs. Reality

Borrow authority to intimidate

Literal meaning: 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...

Open threats easier than hidden

Literal meaning: Bright spear easy dodge

In ancient Chinese warfare, a visible (明) spear (枪) was considered easy (易) to dodge (躲). This military wisdom emerged from the Spring and Autumn period, when straightforward attacks were less feared than hidden strategies. The idiom gained prominence through historical chronicles describing how ski...

Deceive by substitution

Literal meaning: Steal beam swap pillar

This idiom refers to the cunning act of stealing (偷) beams (梁) and swapping (换) pillars (柱), derived from a Warring States period tale of architectural deception. The story involves a craftsman who gradually replaced a building's support structure while maintaining its appearance, ultimately comprom...

Miss big picture

Literal meaning: Leaf blocks eye

This idiom illustrates how a single (一) leaf (叶) can block (障) one's vision/eyes (目). Emerging from Buddhist texts warning against limited perspective, it gained prominence during the Song Dynasty's Neo-Confucian movement. The deceptively simple image of a leaf blocking an entire view became a power...

Ruin by adding extras

Literal meaning: Draw snake add feet

The ancient parable tells of an artist who lost a wine-drinking contest because he spent extra time adding legs to his snake drawing (画蛇添足). The story entered common usage during the Han Dynasty as a warning against ruining sufficiency through unnecessary additions. Today it reminds us how overelabo...

Use others' resources

Literal meaning: Borrow flower offer Buddha

This Buddhist-influenced idiom describes borrowing flowers (花) to offer (献) to Buddha (佛), originating from Tang Dynasty temple practices where worshippers would sometimes borrow flowers from temple gardens for their offerings. The practice sparked philosophical discussions about the nature of since...

Repeated lie becomes truth

Literal meaning: Three people make tiger real

This idiom originates from the Wei state minister Pang Cong's warning to his king about how three (三) people's (人) repeated lies can make even an absurd claim - like a tiger (虎) loose in the marketplace - seem true (成). The story, recorded in Warring States texts, demonstrates how repeated rumors ca...

Needlessly suspicious

Literal meaning: Bow in cup snake shadow

This tale from the Jin Dynasty chronicles a scholar who saw a bow's (弓) reflection in his cup (杯), mistaking it for a snake (蛇) shadow (影). His subsequent illness from fear only subsided when he discovered the truth. First recorded in 'Jin Shu', the story resonated with Buddhist teachings about how ...

Contradict oneself

Literal meaning: Spear shield contradict self

This idiom originates from a famous logical paradox in the Han Feizi, where a merchant claimed to have a spear (矛) that could pierce anything and a shield (盾) that could block anything - creating a self (自) contradicting (相) claim. The story became a classic example in Chinese logical discourse, use...

Professed love hiding actual fear

Literal meaning: 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...