8 Chinese Idioms With Rabbit (兔)

Wait passively for luck

Literal meaning: Guard tree wait rabbit

This Warring States period parable tells of a farmer who, after seeing a rabbit die by running into a tree stump (株), waited (待) endlessly for more rabbits (兔) at the same spot. His guard (守) of the stump became a classic example of misguided persistence and inflexible thinking. The story appeared i...

Always have backup plans

Literal meaning: Clever rabbit has three burrows

This strategic idiom describes how a clever (狡) rabbit (兔) maintains three (三) burrows (窟), originating from the Warring States period text 'Strategies of the Warring States.' It recounts advice from statesman Fan Li that one should never rely on a single refuge or strategy. The specific number thre...

Face challenges together

Literal meaning: Cross river in same boat

This idiom shares deep connections with China's river-centric civilization, where crossing (济) together (共) in the same boat (同舟) was often a matter of life and death. Ancient texts tell of strangers becoming allies when facing treacherous waters, especially along the mighty Yangtze. During the Thre...

Share hardships together

Literal meaning: Share boat in wind and rain

Closely related to '同舟共济' but with added emotional depth, this idiom evokes sharing a boat (同舟) amid wind (风) and rain (雨). It first appeared in Song Dynasty poetry describing political allies weathering court intrigues together. The imagery draws from the experiences of river travelers who formed d...

Unity creates strength

Literal meaning: Many wills make wall

This architectural metaphor shows how many wills (众志) can form an impenetrable wall (城), drawing from ancient Chinese defensive architecture. It gained significance during the Warring States period when city walls required massive coordinated effort to construct and defend. Historical records detail...

Different methods, equally good results

Literal meaning: Different tune same effect

This musical metaphor describes different (异) melodies (曲) achieving the same (同) artistic effect (工), first appearing in Tang Dynasty music criticism. It originated from evaluations of how regional folk tunes could evoke similar emotional responses despite using different musical structures. The co...

Companions united through shared hardship

Literal meaning: Difficult elder and younger brothers

This related idiom describes troubled (难) elder brother (兄) and troubled (难) younger brother (弟), originating from Qing Dynasty vernacular literature. It described families where siblings shared similar difficulties or misfortunes. The repetition of '难' (difficult) emphasized their common predicamen...

Essentially the same with minor differences

Literal meaning: Largely same, slightly different

This idiom has roots in the Confucian concept of 'datong' (大同), meaning 'great unity' or 'grand harmony,' which described an ideal society. The phrase acknowledges that while things may appear different on the surface, they share fundamental similarities. The contrast between 'large' (大) sameness (同...